A  STUDY  OF 

HE  THLINGETS 
OF  ALASKA 


LIVINGSTON  F.  JONES 


J 


A  STUDY  OF  THE  THLINGETS 
OF  ALASKA 


"  LOVERS'  WALK 


A   Study    of  the  Thlingets 
of  Alaska 


By 

LIVINGSTON  F.  JONES 


NEW  YORK  CHICAGO 


TORONTO 


Fleming   H.  Revell   Company 


LONDON 


AND  EDINBURGH 


Copyright,  1914,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago  :  125  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto  :  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London  :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh  :  100  Princes  Street 


.   . 


brary 


a 


PREFACE 


"JYyTANY  books  have  been  written  on  Alaska. 
2  IVA  In  nearly  all  of  them  something  has  been 
j_  said  about  the  natives,  or  aborigines,  of  the 

g  country.  In  some  they  are  merely  alluded  to, 
while  in  others  they  are  treated  more  or  less  com- 
prehensively. While  some  are  reliable  so  far  as 
they  go,  others  abound  with  errors  and  contain 
statements  about  the  natives  which  are  not  true. 
The  same  may  be  said  about  many  articles  that 
have  appeared  in  various  periodicals. 

It  is  evident  to  those  who  are  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  the  natives,  that  some  writers  have 
come  to  their  work  with  little  or  no  preparation. 
In  truth,  several  of  the  books  extant  on  Alaska, 
as  well  as  scores  of  articles  which  have  appeared 
in  periodicals,  have  been  written  by  tourists  who 
had  but  limited  opportunities  of  studying  the  na- 
tives and  their  customs. 

Some  of  the  books,  and  not  a  few  of  the  articles, 
were  written  on  ' t  hurry-up  ' '  orders,  and  by  per- 
sons who  had  merely  glanced  at  the  country  from 
the  deck  of  a  passing  steamer.  Hearsay  and  idle 
rumour  furnished  much  of  their  contents.  Some 
of  them  contain  fake  stories.  Had  their  authors 
been  more  intent  on  publishing  facts  than  on 
breaking  into  print  such  stories  would  never  have 
been  set  up  La  cold  type.  A  novelist  may  have 
some  license  in  printing  fiction,  but  he  who  pur- 
ports to  be  telling  the  truth  should  know  whereof 
he  speaks. 

5 


6  PREFACE 

While  there  are  several  reliable  works  on 
Alaska  in  which  much  may  be  found  concerning 
the  lives  of  the  aborigines,  yet  even  more  of  inter- 
est has  been  left  unsaid.  For  this  reason  the 
author  feels  his  effort  justified  in  order  to  give 
fuller  and  more  accurate  information  to  the  public 
concerning  these  interesting  people. 

Again,  while  this  work  treats  almost  exclusively 
of  the  Thlingets  of  Alaska,  yet  what  is  said  of 
them  largely  applies  to  the  other  classes. 

The  information  imparted  to  the  public  in  the 
following  pages  has  been  gleaned  by  the  writer 
almost  entirely  from  the  natives  themselves,  either 
through  their  lips  or  by  his  own  personal  observa- 
tion. Having  lived  and  laboured  among  them  for 
more  than  twenty  years,  he  has  had  exceptional 
opportunities  of  studying  their  customs  and  char- 
acteristics. He  has  read  the  books  and  articles 
appearing  in  periodicals  relating  to  the  natives. 
(Few  exist  that  he  has  not  read.)  These  were 
consulted  not  so  much  for  information — he  pre- 
ferred to  get  that  at  first  hand — as  to  see  what 
others  had  to  say  about  the  Alaskan  and  wherein 
they  confirmed  his  own  findings  or  differed  with 
him. 

It  has  proved  to  the  author  a  most  fascinating 
study,  and  while  necessarily  there  has  been  some 
drudgery  connected  with  the  preparation  of  the 
work,  on  the  whole  it  has  been  one  of  extreme 
pleasure.  It  is  now  offered  to  the  public  in  the 
full  consciousness  that  long  and  painstaking  care 
has  been  given  to  its  preparation,  and  if  while 
not  free  from  imperfections  such  errors  are  not 
there  through  slight. 

L.  F.  J. 

JUNEAU,  ALASKA. 


CONTENTS 


I.    INTRODUCTORY 17 

Important  Factors  in  the  Lives  of  a  People  —  The 
Country — Name — Area — Physical  Features — Arch- 
ipelago —  Channels  —  Mountains  —  Distance  —  Cli- 
mate —  Mistaken  Ideas  —  Climate  Diversified  — 
Kuro-Siwo  Current  —  Vegetation  —  Resources  —  Re- 
quirements to  Obtain  Them  —  Industries. 


II.  ABORIGINES  OF  ALASKA     ....   23 

Native  Population  —  Four  Grand  Divisions  —  Fanci- 
ful Divisions  —  Different  Types  of  Language  —  The 
Thlingets  —  Their  Villages  —  Their  Tribes  —  The 
Two  Great  Totemic  Divisions  (Crow  and  Eagle)  — 
Sub-division  into  Clans  and  Families  —  Difference 
in  Dialect  and  Disposition. 

III.  ORIGIN  OF  THE  ALASKANS      >.      .       .   27 

Different  Theories  Concerning  Origin  —  The  Mexi- 
can Theory  —  The  North  American  Indian  Theory  — 
Prof.  Win.  H.  Dall's  Position  —  Arguments  in 
Favour  of  the  Mongolian  Theory  —  The  Consensus 
of  Opinion  —  The  Author's  Position  —  His  Argu- 
ments in  Support  of  the  Mongolian  Theory  —  The 
Testimony  of  Early  Russians  —  Of  Various  Writers 
—  J.  W.  Arctander's  Position  —  Similarity  of  Cus- 
toms and  Personal  Resemblance  Between  Alaskans 
and  Islanders  —  The  Author's  Deduction. 


IV.    THE  THLINGET  LANGUAGE       ...    35 

No  Written  Language  —  Handed  down  Orally  from 
Generation  to  Generation  —  Many  Words  Obsolete  — 
Word-building  —  Corruptions  —  Borrowed  Words  — 

7 


8  CONTENTS 

Chinook  —  Proper  Names  —  Fathers  Changing  Name 
on  Birth  of  First  Child  —  Names  Belonging  to  Cer- 
tain Tribes  —  Extent  of  the  Thlinget  Vocabulary  — 
Abstract  and  Concrete  Terms  —  Peculiarities  of  the 
Language — Deficiency  of  the  Language  Illustrated — 
Peculiarity  of  the  Language  When  Spoken  —  Gram- 
matical Construction  —  Verbs  —  Gender  —  Structure 
of  Sentences  —  Observation  of  the  Author  as  to  the 
Desirability  of  English  over  Thlinget. 

V.  THE  FAMILY 44 

Relation  of  Husband  and  Wife  —  Of  Children  to 
Parents  —  Treatment  of  Nephews  and  Nieces  by 
Uncles  and  Aunts  —  The  Fondness  of  Parents  for 
Children  —  Illegitimates  —  Childbirth  —  Treatment 
of  Babes  —  Weaning  Children  —  Parental  Indulgence 
of  Children  —  Polyandry  —  Domestic  Life  —  Cook- 
ing —  Rovings  —  Dogs  —  Washing  and  Sewing  — 
Gossiping — Quarrels  —  Status  of  Wife  —  No  Serv- 
ants —  Exceptions  to  Poor  Housekeepers  —  Draw- 
backs to  be  Remembered. 

VI.  THE  COMMUNITY     .......   53 

Communities  Independent — The  Only  Bond — Where 
Built  —  Advantages  —  Construction  —  Status  of  Na- 
tive— Early  Building — Handicaps  Years  Ago — Ad- 
vantages and  Improvements  Now  —  Summer  Camps 

—  The   Composition  of   Each   Community  —  Public 
Utilities  —  Sanitary    Conditions  —  The    More    Pro- 
gressive Natives  —  Social  Life  —  Strata  of  Thlinget 
Society  —  Caste  —  The  Chief  —  Change  Communities 
Are   Constantly   Undergoing  —  Mixture   of   Whites 
and  Natives. 

VII.  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE,  DRESS  AND 

ORNAMENTATION       .       .       .,       ,       .   64 

Personal  Appearance  —  Dress  —  Public  Appearance 

—  Dress    in    Earlier    Times  —  Female    Headgear  — 
Finery  for  Fourth  of  July  —  Good  Taste  Acquired  — 
Ornamentation  —  Jewellery  —  The     Labret  —  By 
Whom  Worn  —  Tattooing  —  Face  Painting  —  Dress 
Ornamentation  —  Personal  Carriage  —  Facial  Looks 

—  Standard  of  Beauty  —  Affiliation  with  Whites. 


CONTENTS  9 

VIII.    INDUSTRIES     .       .       .      ,       .       ..      ,   72 

Thlingets  Self-supporting  —  Limited  Industries  — 
Main  Industry,  Fishing  —  Process  of  Catching  Fish 
—  Work  in  Canneries  —  Employment  in  Mines  — 
Hunting  and  Trapping  —  Packing  Supplies  —  Carv- 
ing in  Wood  and  Metals  —  The  Trades  —  Industries 
for  Women  —  Chilkat  Blankets  —  Canoe-building  — 
War-canoes  —  Canoe- racing  —  Commercial  Activi- 
ties —  Capitalists  —  The  Hydaburg  Enterprise  — 
Drawbacks  to  Commercial  Life. 


IX.    BASKETRY  .       .       . 85 

Female  Industry  —  Time  and  Labour  Required  to 
Prepare  the  Materials  —  Trade  and  Prices  —  Quality 
of  Weaving  —  Lieut.  G.  T.  Emmons  on  Basketry  — 
Names  of  Baskets  According  to  Design,  Weave, 
Materials  Used  and  Shape  —  Weights  and  Measures 
—  Sizes  of  Baskets  —  Names  According  to  What 
They  Are  Used  For  —  Baskets  for  Cooking  — 
Mother-of-Baskets  —  Colourings  —  Care  Needed  in 
Splitting  Fibres  —  Tools  Used  —  Position  of  Basket- 
weavers  —  Weaving  —  Vending  Baskets. 


X.    TRAITS    ...      ,,      ...       .       .       .      ..       .92 

Independence — Vanity — Sensitiveness — Things  Re- 
garded as  Shameful  and  Disgraceful  —  Revengeful 
—  Jealousy  —  Crafty  —  Politic  —  Not  Avaricious  — 
Spendthrifts  —  Fickle  —  Unreliable  —  Undemonstra- 
tive —  Fortitude  —  Affection  for  Kindred  —  Hospi- 
tality —  Sociability  —  Fond  of  Amusements  —  Ob- 
servant—  Fluency  of  Speech  —  Gratitude. 


XI.    FOOD      .       .,      ....      M      ,;      .  103 

Liberal  Endowment  of  Food  —  Fish,  the  Principal 
Food  —  Varieties  —  Salmon  —  Halibut  —  Herring  — 
Fish  for  Oils  —  Oolikan  —  Herring  Spawn  —  Salmon 
Roe  —  Delicacies  —  Land  Animals  —  Fowl  —  Shell- 
fish —  Berries  —  Vegetables  —  Seaweed  —  White 
Man's  Food. 


10  CONTENTS 

XII.    EXTINCT  CUSTOMS 112 

Customs  Divided  into  Three  Classes  —  First,  Obso- 
lete Customs  —  War  —  Motives  for  War  —  Warriors 
—  Methods  of  Warfare  —  Prisoners  of  War  —  War 
with  Aleuts,  Sticks  and  Russians  —  The  Famous 
Chief,  Katlian  — The  Wrangell  and  Sitka  Mas- 
sacres —  Attacks  on  Russians  Justified  —  Jealous 
Feuds  —  Implements  of  War  —  Slavery  —  Extent  of 
Slavery  —  Treatment  of  Slaves  —  Manumission  of 
Slaves  —  Cremation  —  Belief  Concerning  the  Burn- 
ing of  the  Dead  —  Polygamy  —  The  Toughening 
Process  —  Infanticide  —  Tattooing  —  Gambling  — 
Gambling  Pegs  and  Method  of  Playing  —  The  Game 
Called  Nagon  —  Other  Games. 


XIII.    WANING  CUSTOMS 125 

Waning  Customs  —  Witchcraft  —  Marriage  —  Meth- 
ods—  The  Dowry  —  Barriers  to  Marriage  —  Marry- 
ing Blood  Relations  —  Marrying  out  of  Respect  to 
the  Wishes  of  the  Dying  —  Levirate  Marriages  — 
Child  Marriages  —  Love-matches  —  Rules  Pertaining 
to  Marriage  —  Trial  Before  Marriage  —  Miscegena- 
tion—  Seizure  of  Property  Custom  —  The  Custom 
of  Confining  Girls  When  Approaching  Womanhood. 


XIV.    PEESENT-DAY  CUSTOMS  ....  135 

The  Native  Feast  —  Events  Calling  for  Feasts  — 
Obligations  Discharged  at  Feasts  —  Guests  —  Com- 
memorative Feasts  —  Other  Feasts  —  The  Potlatch 
—  Motive  for  Giving  Potlatch  —  Amount  Given 
Away  —  Dancing  in  Connection  with  Feasts  —  The 
Attendance  —  Ceremony  on  Arrival  of  Guests  — 
Paraphernalia  Used  —  Period  of  Time  Covered  — 
Rules  Governing  Potlatches  —  Dancing  —  Nature  of 
the  Dance  —  Different  Dances  —  Position  and  Mo- 
tions of  Dancers  —  Time,  How  Kept  —  Performance 
Highly  Spectacular  —  The  Big  Dance  at  Angoon  — 
The  Absurd  Custom  of  Brothers  and  Sisters  Not 
Speaking  to  Each  Other  —  The  Domination  of 
Custom. 


CONTENTS  11 

XV.     THE  DISPOSITION  OF  THE  DEAD         .  147 

Death  Sets  in  Motion  Many  Customs  —  What  Fol- 
lows the  Death  of  a  Chief  —  Lying  in  State  —  The 
Widow's  Position  —  Other  Mourners  —  Gathering 
Things  for  the  Feast  for  the  Dead  —  Service  of  the 
Missionary  —  Burial  of  Things  with  the  Dead  —  The 
Feast  for  the  Dead  —  Dressing  the  Dying  for  Burial 
—  Remuneration  of  Those  Who  Assist  in  Any  Way  — 
Grave  Fences  and  Tombstones  —  Disposition  of  the 
Bodies  of  Those  Lower  than  Chiefs  —  In  the  Days 
of  Cremation  —  Thlingets'  Fondness  for  Feasting  for 
the  Dead  —  Commemorative  Feasts  —  Peculiar  Cus- 
toms Connected  with  Burial  —  Embalming  —  Burial 
Now  the  Universal  Custom  —  Signs  of  Mourning. 


XVI.    SHAMANISM  AND  SUPERSTITIONS      .  154 

Witches — The  Ikt  —  The  Office  of  Shaman  —  Para- 
phernalia of  Shaman  —  Propitiation  of  Evil  Spirits 
—  Compensation  of  Shaman  —  The  Witch  —  Treat- 
ment of  the  Witch  —  Native  Terror  of  Witches  — 
What  the  Accusation  of  Being  a  Witch  Means  — 
Cases  of  Witchcraft  That  Have  Come  to  the  Author's 
Notice  —  Witch-medicine  —  The  Superstitious  Re- 
gard for  the  Ikt  —  The  Ikt's  Burial  Place  —  His 
Body  Embalmed  —  Taboos  in  Connection  with  the 
Ikt  —  Regarded  as  a  Prophet  —  Performance  of  the 
Ikt  —  Other  Superstitions  —  Belief  in  the  Existence 
of  Evil  Spirits  —  Evil  Omens  —  Taboos  —  Charms  — 
Love-potions  —  Belief  in  Animals  Understanding 
Human  Speech  —  Superstition  in  Regard  to  Drown- 
ing—  As  to  What  a  Wife  Should  Do  While  Hus- 
band Is  Hunting  —  In  Connection  with  Births  — 
Dreams  —  Supernatural  Properties  of  Medicine  — 
Superstitions  Practised  When  Fishing. 


XVII.    TOTEMISM .168 

The  Subject  —  Misrepresentations  —  Totem  Poles 
Not  Idols  —  Crest  —  Ko-te-a  —  Totemic  Divisions 
—  Totemism  the  Foundation  of  Entire  Social  Struc- 
ture—  Origin  of  Totemism  —  Marriage  and  Totem- 
ism —  Rank  and  Totemism  —  Other  Things  That 


CONTENTS 

Totemism  Governs  —  Totemism  Recorded  History, 
Genealogy,  Legend,  Memoriam,  Commemoration  and 
Art  —  Classes  of  Totem  Poles  —  Totem  Pole  Work- 
manship —  Making  of  Totem  Poles  a  Waning  Art 
—  House  Totems  or  Crests  —  Clan  Emblems  —  Kok- 
won-ton  Tribe  —  The  Adoption  of  Crests. 


XVIII.    LEGENDS 181 

Myths     and     Legends  —  Legendary     Lore     Handed 
down  Orally  —  When  and  by  Whom  Handed  Down 

—  Purposes  of  Telling  Legends  —  Legend  of  Sculpin 

—  Of  the  Crow  and  the  Deer  —  Yalkth,  the  Creator 

—  Legend  of  the  Origin  of  the  Mosquito  —  Of  the 
Whale  Tribe  —  Of  the  Beaver  Crest  —  Of  the  Wolf 
Crest  —  Of  the  Earthquake  —  Of  the  Crow  Making 
Man  —  Of  the  Origin  of  the  Topknot  of  the  Bluejay 

—  Myth     Builders     Primitive     Philosophers  —  The 
Legend  of  a  Flood  —  Legends  Recounting  Thrilling 
Events  —  Attack  of   the   Devilfish  —  The  Totem   in 
Pioneer  Square,  Seattle  —  Legends  on  House  Totems 

—  Legends    Embodied    in    Songs  —  Concerning    Mt. 
Edgecumbe  —  Concerning   Lake   Near   Kluckwan  — 
Concerning  Madam  Skoog-wa. 


XIX.    NATIVE  JURISPRUDENCE        .       .       .193 

No  Government  —  No  Trials,  Courts,  Jails,  etc. — 
Offences  Redressed  by  Tribe  —  Life  for  Life  —  Caste 
Determines  What  Life  —  Accidental  Killing  Must 
be  Atoned  for  as  Well  as  Intentional  Killing  — 
Instances  Cited — Ludicrous  Cases — Instances  Cited 
Where  Caste  Governs  Damages  —  A  Father's  Lia- 
bility to  His  Own  Child  —  One  Saved  from  Death 
Becomes  Slave  of  His  Rescuer  —  All  Loans  Bring 
100  Per  Cent  Interest  —  Motive  for  Giving  —  In- 
stances Cited  —  Exorbitant  Charges  for  Services 
About  the  Dead  —  Old  Grievances  Often  Revived  — 
Instances  Cited  —  Chief  Has  Ruling  Voice  Concern- 
ing Settlements  —  Thlingets  Have  Laws  and  En- 
force Them  —  They  Sometimes  Get  Double  Punish- 
ment. 


CONTENTS  13 


XX.    MUSIC  AND  AMUSEMENTS       .       .       .203 

Love  of  Music  and  Amusements  —  Singing  —  Band 
Music  —  Congregational  Singing  —  Native  Songs  — 
Songs  Used  at  Feasts  and  Potlatches  —  When  Com- 
posed—  Songs  of  Recent  Composition  —  The  Chant 

—  Amusements  —  Games     and     Athletic     Sports  — 
Socials  —  The  Game  of  "Ha-goo"  —  Children  Fond 
of  Toys  —  Games  of  Contest  —  Jokes  and  Witticisms 

—  Appreciation    of    Humour  —  Amusing    Incidents 

—  The  Phonograph  at  Funeral  —  Stopping  Funeral 
Procession  for  Hearse  —  Incidents  at  Weddings  — 
In   Church  —  How  the   First   Steamboat   Was   Re- 
garded—  Their  Great  Astonishment  over  the  First 
Negro  Seen  —  Over   Men  with,  Wooden,   Leg,  Wig, 
False  Teeth,  etc. 


XXI.    MORALITY 212 

Different  Standards  of  Morality  —  That  of  the  Na- 
tive and  of  the  White  Man  Compared  —  Matters  of 
Shame  and  Disgrace  with  the  Thlingets  —  Un- 
just Charges  —  Difference  in  Marriage  Ceremony  — 
Care  of  Daughters  —  Drunkenness  —  Soldiers  and 
Native  Debauchery  —  Rum,  the  Arch-Evil  —  Theft 
—  Murder  —  Suicide  —  Abortion  —  Prostitution  — 
Truthfulness  —  Honour  —  Profanity  —  Vice  —  Good 
Characters. 


XXII.    DISEASES 221 

Diseases  of  Recent  Introduction  —  Consumption  — 
Dr.  Paul  C.  Hutton's  Report  —  Smallpox  —  Venereal 
Diseases  —  Syphilis  —  Measles  and  Whooping-cough 
• — Original  Diseases  of  Thlingets  —  Osseous  Tuber- 
culosis —  Ophthalmia  —  Pott's  Disease  —  Insanity 
and  Idiocy  —  Sanitation  —  Sewerage  —  Teachers  and 
Sanitation  —  Medicines  and  Remedies  —  Bleeding 

—  Treatment  of  Ulcers  and  Sores  —  Use  of  Natu- 
ral Mineral  Springs  —  Steam  Bathing  —  Fasting  — 
"  Rubbers  "  —  Nursing  the  Sick  —  The  Crying  Need 
of  the  Natives  —  The  Climate  on  Health  —  Freaks 

—  Blindness  —  The  Better  Class  Who  Know  how  to 
Care  for  Themselves. 


14.  CONTENTS 

XXIII.  RELIGION 231 

The  Religious  Factor  —  Not  Demonologists  — 
Strictly  Speaking,  Not  Spiritualists  —  Belief  in 
Spirits  —  This  the  Foundation  of  Shamanism  — 
Ghosts  —  Not  Animal  Worshippers  —  Not  Nature 
Worshippers  —  Immortality  —  Transmigration  of 
Soul  —  Future  Place  of  Soul  —  Tradition  About 
One  Soul  Returning  —  Propitiation  of  Evil  Powers 

—  Originally  No  Term  for  God  —  Their  Cosmology 

—  Work  of  the  Russian  Church  —  Protestant  Mis- 
sions—  Testimonies  to  the  Work  of  the  Church  — 
Conclusion. 

XXIV.  EDUCATION 245 

The  Initial  Move  in  the  Education  of  the  Native  — 
The  First  School  Established  at  Wrangell,  1877  — 
Schools  in  Connection  with  Missions  —  First  In- 
terest Shown  by  the  U.  S.  Government  in  the  Edu- 
cation of  the  Natives  —  Censurable  Neglect  —  A 
Decade  of  Feeble  Effort — Schools  in  Various  Vil- 
lages—  The  Leading  Industrial  Training  School  at 
Sitka  Under  the  Auspices  of  the  Presbyterian  . 
Church  —  Ex-Governor  A.  P.  Swineford's  Testi- 
mony—  The  New  Up-to-date  Mission  Plant  —  The 
Government's  Neglect  —  Its  Effort  to  Graft  Indian 
Training  on  to  the  Ordinary  Day  School  —  The 
Futility  of  It  —  Native  Aptitude  for  Trades  —  Prog- 
ress They  Have  Made  Despite  the  Deficient  Sys- 
tem —  Need  Opportunities  —  Reason  for  Educating 
Them  Here  —  Their  Knowledge  of  English  —  What 
Will  Be  True  of  Them  a  Generation  Hence. 

INDEX  .  255 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

"  Lovers'  Walk  n       .         .         .         .        Frontispiece 

OPPOSITE  PAQK 

Pearl  Harbour,  Alaska       .         .         .         .         .18 

Chilkat  and  Vicinity 24 

Children— "  Posing  " 44 

Auk  Village 50 

Treadwell  Gold  Mine 72 

Baskets 82 

Natives  Vending  Curios     .....  88 

Chilkat  Potlatch  Dancing 138 

Totem  Pole 156 

Chilkat  Blanket  and  Woman       ....  168 

Numerous  Curios 178 

House  Totems  and  Interesting  Objects       .         .  188 

Juneau,  Alaska 194 

Juneau  Native  Band 200 

A  Trout  Stream 236 

Map  of  Alaska  .  254 


INTEODUCTOEY 

THE  geography,  climate  and  resources  of  a 
country  are  important  factors  in  the  lives 
of  its  people,  as  their  customs  and  char- 
acteristics are  largely  determined  by  their  en- 
vironment. The  native  of  Mexico  is  a  different 
type  of  man  from  the  native  of  Canada;  and  the 
difference  is  largely  due  to  the  differences  between 
their  respective  countries. 

This  is  true  even  with  people  of  the  same  race. 
Italy,  with  its  salubrious  climate  and  agrarian 
resources,  produces  a  different  type  from  that 
found  in  cold  and  rugged  Norway. 

In  a  treatise  setting  forth  the  traits,  customs, 
industries  and  institutions  of  a  people  it  is  neces- 
sary, to  the  better  understanding  of  these  things, 
to  first  describe  their  country,  its  climate  and 
resources.  Hence  this  introductory  chapter. 

The  word  "  Alaska  "  has  been  so  often  defined 
it  would  seem  every  one  must  know  by  this  time 
that  it  means  "  Big  Country. "  The  term,  we 
are  told,  is  an  abbreviation  or  corruption  of  the 
native  word  Al-ak-sak  or  Al-ay-ek-sa,  meaning 
"  Great  Country. "  *  The  word  Al-ak-shak  is  not 
of  Thlinget  origin,  but  evidently  originated  with 
the  Eskimos.  It  is  strikingly  appropriate,  for 
the  land  may  well  be  called  "  great." 


"Alaska,"  Sheldon  Jackson,  page  14. 
17 


18  INTRODUCTORY 

To  say  that  Alaska  has  an  area  of  over  617,703 
square  miles  gives  but  a  faint  impression  of  its 
immensity.  It  is  better  understood  by  com- 
parison. Its  area  is  about  equal  to  the  United 
States  east  of  the  Mississippi  Eiver. 

The  coast  line  of  Alaska  is  even  more  remark- 
able than  the  area.  In  extent,  and  probably  in  its 
physical  features,  it  surpasses  that  of  any  other 
country  on  the  globe.  The  physical  features  of 
the  coast  have  marked  influence  on  the  lives  of 
the  Thlingets,  making  them  expert  seamen  and 
fishermen. 

The  part  of  Alaska  occupied  by  these  people 
is  a  vast  archipelago,  containing  more  than  a 
thousand  islands,  varying  in  size  from  an  acre  to 
thousands  of  square  miles. 

More  villages  of  the  Thlingets  are  seen  on 
islands  than  on  the  mainland.  Cozy  harbours 
with  fine  beaches  are  chosen  for  town-sites.  As 
the  native  is  a  seafaring  man  he  wants  his  home 
at  the  water's  edge.  His  canoe  is  always  at  his 
door  ready  for  use  at  a  moment's  notice. 

The  islands  are  mostly  mountainous  with  bold 
and  rocky  shores.  Pretty  beaches  are  found  here 
and  there,  but  they  are  not  numerous.  All  of  the 
straits  and  most  of  the  bays  of  the  archipelago 
feel  the  influence  of  the  ocean  currents  and  storms. 
Some  of  them  are  very  rough  at  times  and  ex- 
ceedingly dangerous  to  navigate,  yet  the  natives 
rove  over  them  at  will  in  their  frail  canoes.  They 
often  go  to  sea  way  out  of  sight  of  land  without 
compass  or  chart,  yet  they  find  their  way  back. 

A  mountain  chain  fringes  the  main  shore,  con- 
taining numerous  mountains  of  no  mean  propor- 
tions. Many  of  them  tower  thousands  of  feet  into 
the  air  and  are  eternally  crowned  with  snow.  Sev- 


J 


CLIMATE  19 

era!  volcanoes  are  found  in  the  range.  At  present 
inactive,  they  are  liable  to  burst  forth  at  any  time. 
These  mountains,  as  a  rule,  are  well  clothed  with 
trees  and  shrubbery.  Practically  every  foot  of 
space,  both  on  the  islands  and  the  mainland,  is 
wooded.  Arms  of  the  ocean  indent  the  mainland, 
some  of  them  being  more  than  a  hundred  miles 
long. 

Alaska  is  a  country  of  magnificent  distances, 
and  no  one  thinks  anything  of  travelling,  even  in 
small  craft,  several  hundred  miles.  The  writer 
has  made  trips  of  over  four  hundred  miles  in  an 
open  dory,  carrying  a  tent,  camping  nights,  and 
crossing  large  bodies  of  water.  The  natives  travel 
hundreds  of  miles  every  year  in  their  canoes.  We 
are  reliably  informed  that  years  ago  they  went 
as  far  south  as  San  Francisco  in  these  little 
vessels.  It  is  a  matter  of  undisputed  fact  that 
they  frequently  went  for  trade  to  Victoria,  a  thou- 
sand miles  from  the  tribes  farthest  north. 


CLIMATE 

Notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  written  and 
said  to  the  contrary,  the  impression  still  prevails 
to  a  large  extent  that  Alaska  is  a  bleak,  barren 
and  frigid  country.  Nothing  could  be  more  er- 
roneous so  far,  at  least,  as  the  south  coast  is  con- 
cerned. "  Probably  no  other  section  of  this  con- 
tinent presents  such  a  diversity  of  climate  as 
Alaska."  *  "  In  a  country  as  extended  as  Alaska, 
with  its  large  rolling  plains,  wide  valleys  and  high 
mountains,  there  is  necessarily  a  wide  diversity  of 
climate. "  f  l  i  As  well  might  a  person  ask  about 

•"  Alaska,"  Bruce,  page  26. 
t  "  Alaska,"  Jackson,  page  52. 


20  INTRODUCTORY 

the  climate  of  the  United  States  without  particu- 
larity, as  to  propound  the  same  inquiry  concern- 
ing Alaska.7'  * 

The  climate  of  Alaska,  like  that  of  the  United 
States,  varies  according  to  the  locality  and  the 
season  of  the  year.  The  section  of  the  country 
occupied  by  the  Thlingets  seldom  experiences  the 
extremes  of  heat  and  cold.  "  Zero  weather  is  a 
rare  occurrence  in  Sitka,  and  there  have  been  win- 
ters when  the  temperature  seldom  fell  to  the  freez- 
ing point. ' '  "  What  is  true  of  Sitka  in  this  regard 
applies  to  all  of  southeastern  Alaska." 

The  mean  winter  temperature  of  southeastern 
Alaska  is  about  that  of  Washington,  D.  C.  Navi- 
gation in  this  part  of  the  country  is  open  every 
day  in  the  year.  During  the  writer's  long  period 
of  residence  in  Alaska,  he  has  not  seen  a  day  when 
steamers  could  not  land  at  the  local  wharves.  This 
relative  mildness  of  winter  on  the  south  coast  of 
the  territory  is  due  in  part,  at  least,  to  the  warm 
Japanese  (Kuro-Siwo)  current  which  crosses  the 
Pacific  and  splits  on  the  Aleutian  islands,  one 
branch  flowing  north  and  the  other  south  along 
the  coast. 

The  summers  in  southeastern  Alaska,  the  home 
of  the  Thlingets,  are  cool  and  moist.  Nothing  is 
more  convincing  as  to  the  climate  of  Alaska  than 
its  vegetation.  Great  varieties  of  small  fruits, 
such  as  strawberries,  raspberries,  huckleberries, 
cranberries,  thimbleberries,  salmonberries,  cur- 
rants, crabapples,  and  others  are  native  to  the  soil, 
while  all  kinds  of  hardy  vegetables  are  easily  and 
abundantly  cultivated  there.  A  great  variety  of 
wild  flowers,  among  them  the  daisy,  dandelion, 

*" Alaska:  Its  Resources,  Climate  and  History,"  Swineford, 
page  91. 


RESOURCES  21 

violet,  rose  and  bluebell  prove  its  temperate  cli- 
mate. The  presence  of  butterflies,  hummingbirds 
and  robins  also  testifies  that  Alaska  is  not  peren- 
nially frigid. 

With  less  moisture,  the  summers  of  south- 
eastern Alaska  would  be  ideal.  As  it  is,  they  are 
preferable  to  some  of  the  hot  regions  of  the 
States.  The  climate  is  neither  so  hot  as  to  ener- 
vate nor  so  cold  as  to  paralyze  human  efforts. 

RESOURCES 

The  resources  of  a  country,  like  the  climate, 
have  much  to  do  with  the  habits  and  character  of 
its  people.  In  sunny  climes,  where  breadstuffs 
grow  without  cultivation,  and  may  be  plucked  any 
hour  the  inhabitant  wishes  to  appease  his  hunger, 
we  find  a  different  character  from  that  in  the 
country  where  man  has  to  wrest  his  living  from 
the  soil,  the  forest,  or  the  water,  by  hard  work 
and  exposure. 

While  the  resources  of  Alaska  are  varied  and 
abundant,  yet  they  are  such  as  to  demand  of  him 
who  would  obtain  them  industry,  strength,  en- 
durance, courage  and,  in  many  instances,  in- 
genuity. 

"  This  is  the  law  [of  Alaska],  and  ever  she  makes 

it  plain: 

Send  not  your  foolish  and  feeble;  send  me  your 
strong  and  your  sane." 

The  principal  natural  food  resources  of  the 
Thlingets  are  fish,  game  and  berries,  and  of  these 
there  is  great  variety. 

Some  kinds  of  fish  and  all  berries  may  be  had 


22  INTRODUCTORY 

only  in  their  season,  which  is  short.  For  winter 
consumption,  these  must  be  secured  in  their  sea- 
son, and  properly  cured  and  preserved.  To  this 
extent,  at  least,  the  people  are  provident.  Venison 
and  halibut  may  be  had  fresh  the  year  round,  yet 
they  are  also  cured  to  some  extent  for  winter  use. 
Fish  and  seal  oils  are  put  up  in  summer,  as  well 
as  delicacies,  such  as  seaweed  and  herring. 

The  native  of  Alaska  must  not  only  hunt  the 
game  that  he  uses  for  food,  thus  requiring 
strength,  labour  and  courage,  but  when  he  kills  it 
he  must  dress  and  cook  it  before  eating  it.  He 
must  also  provide  fuel  both  to  cook  his  food  and 
to  give  him  warmth. 

Such  requirements  are  not  calculated  to  encour- 
age indolence,  and  we  find,  as  a  rule,  that  the 
Thlinget  is  industrious,  hardy  and  brave.  He 
sails  the  deep  in  frail  and  cranky  canoes,  scours 
the  forest  for  ferocious  animals,  and  often  meets 
his  human  antagonist  without  fear. 

Of  late  years  industries  introduced  by  the  white 
man  have  sprung  up  in  this  country  which  open 
new  avenues  of  employment  for  the  native.  The 
mines,  canneries,  sawmills,  fisheries,  and  other  in- 
dustries call  for  his  brawn,  if  not  his  brain.  En- 
lightenment is  creating  new  and  varied  desires 
which  impel  him  to  greater  exertion. 


II 

ABOEIGINES  OF  ALASKA 

AT  the  present  day  there  are  not,  all  told,  more 
than  thirty  thousand  of  the  aboriginal  stock 
in  Alaska.    These  are  scattered  over  the  vast 
domain,  no  one  locality  being  thickly  populated. 
The  native  population  has  been  slowly  decreasing. 

Excluding  the  minor  tribes  known  as  Hydahs 
and  Tsimpsheans,  the  natives  fall  into  four  great 
divisions. 

In  their  natural  order,  travelling  north  from 
Ketchikan,  the  first  port  of  call,  they  are  the 
Thlingets  of  Southern  Alaska,  the  Tinneh  of  the 
Interior,  the  Aleuts  of  the  southwestern  pan- 
handle, and  the  Eskimos  inhabiting  the  shores  of 
Bering  Sea  and  the  Arctic  Ocean.  These  main 
divisions  are  again  subdivided  into  tribes  and 
families. 

Different  writers  give  different  divisions  of  the 
natives  of  Alaska,  some  of  these  being  not  only 
incorrect  but  fanciful.  "  While  there  are  twelve 
tribes,  there  are  only  two  families,  known  as  the 
ravens  and  eagles/'  seriously  writes  one  author. 
Evidently  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel  have  given 
him  a  suggestion. 

There  are  not  only  two  but  various  families  of 
each  great  division.  "  The  Indians  (Alaskans) 
are  again  subdivided  into  various  families,  each  of 
which  has  its  family  badge,"  says  Dr.  Sheldon 
Jackson. 

23 


24  ABORIGINES  OF  ALASKA 

Mrs.  Ella  Higginson,  in  her  work  on  Alaska, 
goes  to  the  other  extreme  by  making  only  two 
divisions  of  the  natives — the  Thlingets  (or  coast 
Indians)  and  the  Tinnehs  (or  interior  Indians), 
making  the  Thlingets  to  comprise  the  Tsimp- 
sheans,  Hydahs  and  Yakutats.  But  the  Thlingets 
have  a  common  language  and  the  Tsimpsheans 
and  Hydahs,  who  speak  an  entirely  different  lan- 
guage, should  not  be  included  with  them.  The 
Yakutats,  on  the  other  hand,  speak  the  Thlinget 
tongue  and  should  not  be  regarded  as  other  than 
Thlingets. 

This  same  writer,  who  seems  to  have  a  predilec- 
tion for  dual  divisions,  divides  the  Thlingets  into 
two  tribes,  the  Stikines  and  Sitkans.  The  Stikines 
and  Sitkans  are  not  tribes,  but  peoples  of  their 
respective  localities,  the  same  as  those  who  live 
in  Boston  are  Bostonians,  whatever  their  nation- 
ality. 

Tourist  writers  fall  into  many  errors  when  they 
assume  to  write  about  the  natives,  as  they  cannot 
be  comprehended  at  a  glance  nor  their  customs 
understood  without  months,  if  not  years,  of  close 
observation. 

Each  division  comprises  people  of  a  different 
type  and  language  from  all  the  others;  each  has 
its  own  specially  well-defined  territory  and  cli- 
mate, and  the  customs  of  the  people  in  one  differ 
in  many  respects  from  those  in  the  others.  The 
territory  of  each  division  is  widely  separated  from 
that  of  the  others.  The  Thlingets  are  hundreds 
of  miles  from  the  Aleuts,  Tinnehs  and  Eskimos. 
It  is  as  rare  to  see  an  Eskimo  or  an  Aleut  in  the 
land  of  the  Thlingets  as  in  Chicago,  and  an  Eskimo 
is  as  much  an  object  of  curiosity  to  the  Thlinget 
as  to  an  inhabitant  of  Illinois.  In  over  twenty 


THEIR  VILLAGES  25 

years  of  residence  there  the  writer  saw  but 
three  Eskimos,  and  these  were  witnesses  in  a 
suit. 

The  Thlingets  occupy  a  score  or  more  of  vil- 
lages in  what  is  generally  known  as  southeastern 
Alaska.  The  Tongass  tribe  embraces  the  natives 
in  and  around  Tongass;  the  Hanega,  those  of 
Klawock  and  vicinity;  the  Stickeens,  those  at 
Wrangell;  the  Kaaks  are  in  and  near  Kake;  the 
Takoos  and  Auks  are  found  at  Juneau;  the  Sit- 
kans  at  Sitka;  the  Yakutats  at  Yakutat,  and  the 
Chilkats  at  Haines  and  vicinity. 

These  communities  are  composed  of  different 
peoples.  At  Sitka  we  have  the  Kok-won-ton',  the 
Kak-sii'dy  and  the  Kluk-na-hu'dy  tribes;  at 
Hoonah  the  Duk-dain-ton'  and  the  Chu-ka-na'dy ; 
at  Haines  (or  Chilkat)  the  Kok-won-ton',  Klu-ka- 
hu'dy,  and  the  Duk-la-wa'dy ;  at  Juneau  the  Nush- 
ke-ton',  the  Auk  and  the  Kle-na'dy. 

Where  new  communities  have  sprung  up 
through  the  agency  of  the  white  man,  such  as 
Douglas,  Skagway  and  Petersburg,  the  natives 
living  in  them  are  from  various  villages  and 
tribes.  They  simply  go  to  these  places  for  em- 
ployment. They  may  live  in  such  places  indefi- 
nitely, but  they  never  regard  them  as  their 
homes.  Ask  a  native,  "  Where  is  your  home?  " 
and  he  will  invariably  name  the  village  in  which 
he  was  born. 

Besides  the  divisions  already  mentioned,  the 
tribes  are  subdivided  into  clans  and  families,  with 
their  distinctive  totemic  badges  or  crests  and  fam- 
ily house  (Hit).  These  divisions  will  be  further 
enumerated  when  we  come  to  speak  of  totemism. 
The  two  great  totemic  divisions  of  the  Thlingets 
are  the  Yalkth  (Crow)  and  the  TschdJc  (Eagle). 


26  ABORIGINES  OF  ALASKA 

The  various  tribes  come  under  one  or  the  other  of 
these  main  divisions. 

While  the  Thlingets  from  Tonga ss  on  the  south 
to  Chilkat  on  the  north,  a  distance  of  over  four 
hundred  miles,  are  of  the  same  stock  and  speak 
the  same  language,  yet  the  enunciation  is  a  little 
different  in  each  community.  One  finds  this '  an 
obstacle  in  using  the  language;  if  he  learns  it 
from  the  Chilkats  and  tries  to  speak  it  with  the 
people  of  Wrangell  he  can  scarcely  make  himself 
understood.  Among  the  natives  themselves,  who 
are  familiar  with  the  different  shades  of  enuncia- 
tion, there  is  little  or  no  difficulty. 

Again,  while  these  Thlingets  are  all  of  the  same 
stock,  some  communities  have  been  more  pro- 
gressive than  others.  The  Chilkats  were  always 
a  haughty  and  aggressive  people.  For  years  they 
held  and  controlled  the  trade  with  the  interior,  or 
Tinneh,  Indians,  and  even  disputed  the  right  of 
the  white  man  to  advance  through  their  boundaries 
to  the  land  beyond.  The  Hootz-na-oos  of  Angopn 
(Killisnoo)  were  of  a  turbulent  and  warlike  dis- 
position for  generations,  and  were  only  subdued 
by  force  of  arms.  The  Auks  (at  Juneau)  have 
always  been  regarded  as  a  poor  and  spiritless 
class,  and  are  more  or  less  despised  by  the  other 
natives. 

They  are  all  a  maritime  people,  and  their  main 
food  supplies  come  from  the  water.  The  canoe 
(yak)  or  boat  (on-ta-yak-oo')  is  to  the  Thlinget 
what  the  camel  is  to  the  Bedouin  of  the  desert. 


m 

OKIGIN  OF  THE  ALASKANS 

WHENCE  came  the  natives  of  Alaska!  This 
subject  has  invited  much  speculation  and 
many  conjectures.  In  the  absence  of  any 
recorded  history  concerning  them,  the  question 
will  probably  never  be  positively  determined. 
Some  have  come  to  one  conclusion  and  some  to 
another.  The  consensus  of  opinion,  however, 
points  to  an  Asiatic  origin. 

The  theory  that  they  are  of  Mexican  origin  has 
few  to  advocate  it  and  very  little  to  support  it. 
It  rests  on  the  one  fact  that  articles  common  to 
both  have  been  found  in  Alaska.  This  proves 
nothing.  The  early  Spanish  explorers  might  have 
been  the  importers  of  these  articles.  Races  wholly 
independent  of  each  other  have  many  things  in 
common.  The  Hindoo  of  India  has  some  things 
in  common  with  the  Mexican;  and  yet  who 
would  assert  that  the  former  sprang  from  the 
latter? 

It  is  only  natural  that  different  people,  though 
occupying  the  very  antipodes  of  the  globe,  should 
hit  upon  some  ideas  and  produce  some  things 
alike.  Human  needs,  especially  where  people 
stand  on  the  same  plane  of  life,  are  very  much 
the  same. 

The  first  implements  of  all  untutored  races 
would  naturally  be  of  stone;  their  first  weapons, 
clubs,  spears,  bows  and  arrows;  their  clothing, 

27 


28  ORIGIN  OF  THE  ALASKANS 

skins  and  furs.    So  the  possession  of  some  things 
in  common  does  not  prove  relationship. 
.   The  theory  that  the  native  of  Alaska  is  an  off- 
spring of  the  North  American  Indian  stands  about 
on  the  same  par  with  the  Mexican. 

Professor  Dall,  a  man  of  exceptional  ability, 
rather  favours  this  view.  He  maintains,  in  one 
of  his  reports,  that  the  natives  of  Alaska  were 
once  inhabitants  of  the  interior  of  America,  and 
that  they  were  forced  to  the  west  and  the  north 
by  tribes  of  Indians  from  the  south.  He  makes 
the  rather  remarkable  statement  that  he  can  in 
no  way  connect  them  with  the  Japanese  or 
Chinese,  either  by  dress,  manner  or  language. 

This  is  surprising,  coming  as  it  does  from  a 
man  of  his  intelligence  and  research.  Even 
tourists  and  transients  passing  through  Alaska 
have  observed  the  striking  resemblance  of  native 
Alaskans  to  Japanese.  The  Thlingets,  especially, 
seem  so  closely  related  to  the  people  of  the  east 
coast  of  Asia,  that  a  European  traveller  who  had 
been  around  the  world  once  remarked  to  a  mis- 
sionary, "  How  many  Japanese  you  have  in 
Wrangell!  '  At  the  time  there  was  not  a  Jap- 
anese in  the  place.  The  people  he  saw  were  native 
Alaskans. 

It  is  a  common  occurrence  for  these  natives  to 
be  mistaken  for  Japanese.  Some  of  them  are 
facetiously  called  "  Japs  "  by  their  own  people. 
Minor  W.  Bruce,  in  "  Alaska,"  says:  "  Prof. 
Otis  T.  Mason  of  the  same  institution  [Smith- 
sonian] takes  the  position  that  the  emigration 
came  from  Asia  to  this  continent,  and  that  the 
Alaska  Innuits  are,  undoubtedly,  of  Mongolian 
origin. 

"  We  are  also  constrained  to  take  this  view, 


CONSENSUS  OF  OPINION  29 

and  believe  they  once  came  across  Bering  Strait. 
The  same  straight  black  hair,  olive  complexion, 
small  stature,  almond-shaped  eye  and  unusually 
small  hands  and  feet,  are,  to  our  mind,  unmistaka- 
ble evidence  of  kinship. 

' '  They  are  not  an  inventive  people,  but  are  de- 
cidedly and  emphatically  imitative,  a  trait  in  the 
Japanese  character  always  so  conspicuous.  And 
their  genius  seems  best  illustrated  in  the  nicety 
of  their  carving." 

The  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Seward  says :  "  I  have  min- 
gled freely  with  the  multifarious  population  (of 
Alaska),  the  Tongas,  the  Stickeens,  the  Kakes,  the 
Haidas,  the  Sitkas,  the  Kootnoos  and  the  Chilkats, 
but  all  of  them  are  manifestly  of  Mongol  origin. 
All  alike  indulge  the  tastes,  wear  a  physiognomy 
and  are  imbued  with  sentiments  peculiarly  noticed 
in  China  and  Japan. " 

Charles  Keplogle,  for  many  years  a  missionary 
in  Alaska,  observes  in  his  book,  i '  Among  the  In- 
dians of  Alaska,"  "  The  origin  of  the  native  is 
shrouded  in  the  misty  veil  of  the  traditions  of 
their  past.  There  is  much  reason  to  believe  they 
originally  came  from  the  continent  of  Asia.  They 
have  the  eyes  of  a  Japanese,  or  very  much  the 
same;  the  colour  of  their  skin  also  resembles  the 
Jap." 

The  Hon.  A.  P.  Swineford,  once  governor  of 
Alaska,  writes:  "  Various  theories  speculative  as 
to  their  origin  have  been  advanced.  That  those 
of  the  coast  and  the  islands  as  far  north  as  to 
where  the  Eskimos  have  their  most  southerly 
habitation,  are  a  distinct  race,  without  a  drop  of 
the  blood  of  the  American  Indian  in  their  veins, 
unless  it  be  in  some  instances  of  cross  breeding, 
is  scarcely  to  be  gainsaid. 


30  ORIGIN  OF  THE  ALASKANS 

"  They  are  not  Indians  in  the  common  accepta- 
tion of  the  term,  but  are,  undoubtedly,  of  Asiatic 
origin.  They  are  naturally  bright  and  quick- 
witted people,  with  a  Japanese  cast  of  features." 

The  Kev.  J.  P.  D.  Llwyd,  of  Seattle,  in  his  inter- 
esting little  book,  "  The  Message  of  an  Indian 
Eelic, ' '  says :  ' '  Students  of  ethnology  are  not  yet 
agreed  as  to  their  origin,  although  the  weight  of 
argument  seems  to  support  the  view  that  they 
are  a  branch  of  the  Asiatic  peoples,  and  are  near 
of  kin  to  the  Japanese,  whose  cast  of  features  is 
strikingly  reproduced,  for  instance,  in  the  chil- 
dren seen  by  travellers  in  the  Indian  village  of 
Sitka." 

We  discover  traits  in  the  natives  of  Alaska 
found  in  the  Mongolians.  They  are  both  skilled 
carvers  in  wood,  and  in  carving  they  draw  the 
knife  toward  the  body  instead  of  shoving  it  away 
in  Yankee  style.  Both  have  a  fondness  for  squat- 
ting on  the  floor  and  for  eating  from  one  dish 
in  common;  both  have  profound  reverence  for 
their  ancestors,  the  Mongolians  literally  wor- 
shipping them.  The  Alaskans  have  a  strong 
predilection  in  this  direction,  as  their  feasts  for 
the  dead  evidence.  Both  quickly  adapt  them- 
selves to  the  ways  of  progressive  peoples.  In 
this  respect,  the  Alaskans  are  much  superior  to 
the  Indians  of  the  States.  Centuries  have  elapsed 
since  civilization  was  introduced  to  the  latter,  and 
yet  many  of  them  remain,  practically  speaking, 
savages.  On  the  other  hand,  only  a  few  years 
have  elapsed  since  civilization,  in  any  marked  de- 
gree, was  introduced  to  the  former,  and  yet  to-day 
we  can  find  no  savages  among  them,  while  many 
of  them  are  fully  enlightened. 

The  Alaskan's  docility  marks  him  as  one  who 


IN  SUPPORT  OF  MONGOLIAN  THEORY  31 

has  sprung  from  a  different  race  than  that  of 
the  wild,  inflexible  Indian  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Then,  too,  the  Alaskan  is  a  maritime  being, 
loving  the  sea  as  he  loves  his  life.  His  home,  if 
he  is  to  be  happy,  must  border  on  the  same.  Even 
the  women  are  sailors.  This  trait  corresponds 
with  the  sea-loving  disposition  of  the  Japs. 

Another  fact  which  lends  strong  support  to  the 
theory  is  that  the  Alaskan  coast  is  directly  op- 
posite the  shores  of  the  Mongolian,  and  in  one 
part,  at  least,  not  so  very  far  away  from  them. 
This  would  afford  an  easy  opportunity  for  any 
Japanese  or  Chinese  adventurers  to  reach  Alaska 
by  design  or  accident.  Columbus-like,  some  bold 
Asiatic  adventurers  may  have  landed  upon  the 
Alaskan  shores,  and  from  them  may  have  sprung 
the  new  racial  branch.  Or,  possibly,  generations 
ago,  some  tempest-tossed  Japanese  or  Chinese 
junk  was  driven  upon  our  rugged  Alaskan  coast, 
and  the  occupants  of  this  unfortunate  craft  formed 
the  nucleus  of  the  new  race.  Within  recent  years 
Asiatics  have  been  stranded  on  these  shores ;  and 
why  not  some  centuries  ago? 

The  Russians  found  in  Kamchatka,  before  they 
discovered  Alaska,  Japanese  writings  and  sailors. 
The  Chukchi,  the  aborigines  of  Kamchatka,  bore 
evidence  of  Mongolian  origin.  From  this  wing 
of  the  Asiatics  might  have  come  the  Alaskans.  In 
the  summer  time  the  trip  from  the  country  of  the 
Chukchi  to  Alaska  can  be  made  in  one  day  by 
canoe,  and  in  the  same  time  in  winter  by  a  swift 
reindeer  team. 

The  aborigines  of  Kamchatka  were  continually 
trying  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  their  Russian 
masters  that  the  people  in  Alaska  were  like  them- 
selves. The  early  Russian  historians  bear  wit- 


32  ORIGIN  OF  THE  ALASKANS 

ness  to  this:  "  In  the  other  land  [Alaska], " 
writes  one, '  i  the  people  are  like  the  Chukchi,  with- 
out any  government." 

"  Opposite  the  Cape  [Noss],"  writes  another, 
"  lies  an  island  [Diomedes]  inhabited  by  people 
resembling  the  Chukchi." 

"  The  interpreters  accompanying  the  expedi- 
tion [WaxePs]  belong  to  the  Korick  and  the  Chuk- 
chi tribes  .  .  .  being  in  outward  appearance? 
like  themselves  [the  natives  of  Shumagin]."* 

"  There  are  able  students  of  ethnology  who  in- 
sist upon  the  origin  of  these  Alaskans  being  Asi- 
atic for  various  good  and  sufficient  reasons, 
instancing  not  only  their  personal  resemblance, 
but  the  similarity  of  their  traditions  and  customs 
to  those  of  the  people  of  Asia.  To  have  come 
thence  it  is  remembered  they  had  only  to  cross 
a  narrow  piece  of  water  forty  miles  wide.  This 
passage  is  frequently  made  in  our  time  in  open 
boats." 

But  while  the  preponderance  of  facts  is  greatly 
in  favour  of  an  Asiatic  origin  for  the  aborigines 
of  Alaska,  there  is  still  another  view  of  the  matter 
that  merits  some  consideration. 

John  W.  Arctander,  in  "  The  Apostle  of 
Alaska,"  writes:  "  Where  the  Tsimpshean  origi- 
ally  came  from,  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain. 
Those  who  associate  them,  even  in  the  distant 
past,  with  the  Japanese  or  the  Koreans,  certainly 
do  not  find  any  very  good  arguments  for  their 
contention.  They  perhaps  drifted  northward 
long  ago  from  some  tropical  island  in  the  Pa- 
cific." 

Mr.  Arctander  does  not  cite  his  reasons  for 
holding  this  view  of  the  origin  of  the  Tsimp- 

*  Bancroft. 


SIMILARITY  TO  ISLANDERS  33 

sheans.  He  probably  bases  his  opinion  on  the 
similarity  of  customs  between  the  two  people. 

While  it  is  true  they  have  many  customs  and 
superstitions  in  common,  yet  this  is  no  sure  cri- 
terion by  which  to  determine  the  origin  of  a  peo- 
ple. It  were  just  as  reasonable  to  infer  from  such 
premises  that  the  people  of  the  islands  in  the 
Pacific  sprang  from  the  Alaskans. 

The  negroes  in  the  dark  jungles  of  Africa  have 
many  superstitions  and  customs  in  common  with 
the  natives  of  Alaska,  yet  who  would  be  justified 
in  declaring,  because  of  this  fact,  that  the  Alas- 
kans have  sprung  from  the  Africans!  There  is 
absolutely  no  relationship  or  connection  between 
the  two  races. 

There  is  scarcely  a  custom  of  the  Alaskans  that 
does  not  have  its  counterpart  with  the  Islanders 
of  the  Pacific.  The  custom  of  secluding  a  girl 
when  she  becomes  of  age,  of  young  girls  marrying 
old  men  and  young  men  marrying  old  women,  of 
the  father  having  no  relation  to  his  own  children, 
of  the  property  of  the  dead  reverting  to  the  op- 
posite tribe  of  the  deceased,  of  pregnant  women 
observing  taboos,  of  tattooing  the  body,  of  dancing 
and  feasting,  of  pampering  children,  of  shaman- 
ism and  witchcraft,  of  the  brother  of  a  deceased 
brother  taking  his  widow  to  wife,  of  gifts  being 
passed  to  the  parents  of  the  bride,  of  weaving 
baskets,  of  marrying  at  an  early  age,  of  looking 
upon  twins  as  an  evil  omen,  of  weaning  children 
very  late,  and  practically  all  the  other  customs 
of  the  Thlingets  are  followed  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  islands  of  the  Pacific. 

Then  the  two  peoples  are  alike  in  personal  ap- 
pearance, temperament  and  traits.  Both  possess 
the  happy  and  unhappy  qualities  of  childhood,  the 


34  ORIGIN  OF  THE  ALASKANS 

affection,  credulity,  love  of  pleasure;  also  ungov- 
ernable passions,  instinctive  aversions,  jealousy, 
cunning  and  a  love  of  revenge. 

We  believe  that  both  the  Islanders  and  the 
Alaskans  are  of  Mongolian  origin,  chiefly  Jap- 
anese, and  that  the  Alaskans  were  the  first  scion 
from  this  stock,  and  the  Islanders,  for  the  most 
part  at  least,  indirectly  of  the  same  through  the 
Alaskans.  It  is  far  more  probable  that  the 
islands  were  first  peopled  from  the  mainland, 
rather  than  the  mainland  from  the  islands. 

After  studying  the  problem  for  years  we  be- 
lieve the  racial  flow  was  along  the  Asiatic  coast 
to  Kamchatka,  thence  to  Alaska,  and  from  Alaska 
to  the  islands  of  the  Pacific.  This  would  account 
for  the  similarity  of  the  many  customs  observed 
by  the  two  peoples. 

It  may  be  asked,  if  the  Alaskans  have  sprung 
from  so  happy  a  stock  as  the  Japanese,  why  are 
they  so  much  inferior  to  them?  We  reply,  be- 
cause generations,  possibly  centuries,  of  isolation 
have  made  them  so.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
degeneracy  generally  follows  such  a  state. 

Until  a  more  plausible  theory  of  the  origin  of 
our  Alaskans  is  advanced,  supported  by  stronger 
arguments  than  the  foregoing,  we  shall  continue 
to  believe  that  our  neighbour,  Japan,  is  responsi- 
ble for  the  existence  of  this  aboriginal  people. 


IV 
THE  THLINGET  LANGUAGE 

Atf  interesting  and  instructive  volume  might 
be  written  on  the  language  of  the  Thlin- 
gets,  but  only  a  chapter  can  here  be  given 
to  it. 

They  have  no  written  language.  Their  totemic 
emblems  are  the  nearest  approach  to  it. 

Their  oral  language  is  handed  down  from  gen- 
eration to  generation.  It  is  constantly  undergo- 
ing change,  and  already  many  terms  once  com- 
monly used  have  become  obsolete.  Many  of  the 
natives  now  living  have  lost  much  of  the  pure 
Thlinget,  and  are  unacquainted  with  many  words 
which  their  ancestors  employed.  Then,  again, 
new  words  are  being  coined  to  meet  the  growing 
demands  superinduced  by  their  progress  in  civi- 
lization. 

It  is  especially  interesting  to  note  Thlinget 
word-building  relative  to  objects  introduced  to 
them  by  white  people.  "  Cream  of  Wheat  "  is 
called  sdk-d-hagoo  because  it  resembles  oolikan 
spawn.  Gun-teenyak  is  the  word  for  steamboat, 
which  analyzed  is  gun  (fire)  -teen(  with)  -yak  (ca- 
noe), hence  steamboat  is  canoe-with-fire.  On-td- 
yak-oo',  the  word  for  small  boats  other  than  ca- 
noes, little-canoe-on-ship — that  is,  lifeboat.  These 
lifeboats  were  the  first  small  boats  other  than 
their  canoes  that  the  natives  ever  saw,  so  on-td- 
yak-oo  is  the  word  used  to  differentiate  all  small 

85 


36  THE  THLINGET  LANGUAGE 

boats  from  canoes.  Ice  cream  is  called  d-uk-d- 
Mg'wd  (frozen  grease) ;  Epsom  Salts,  ko-wdn- 
nouk',  frost  medicine,  because  it  resembles  frost; 
goolth'ddn,  excitement,  is  derived  from  goolth 
(whirlpool).  Lima  beans  are  known  as  wutze- 
watze,  because  they  resemble  the  fat  seen  in  the 
moose.  "  Quaker  Oats  "  resembles  the  seed  of 
the  native  wild  celery  (yd-nd-dte)  and  for  this 
reason  is  called  yd-nd-dte' shuk-d-hee'ny. 

Many  white  people,  from  some  peculiarity,  are 
nicknamed  by  them  and  these  names  become  part 
of  their  vocabulary.  One  man  is  known  as  Thloo'- 
tuk-dn  (red-inside-of-nose) ;  another,  Ki-tik- 
kleak'  (one  arm). 

The  language  now  abounds  with  corruptions 
through  the  effort  of  the  natives  to  adopt  or  in- 
corporate words  from  the  English  and  Russian 
into  their  own  tongue.  Their  word  donna  is  a 
mispronunciation  of  dollar,  Kin-ditch'  for  King 
George,  and  Kin-ditch-wan'  (King  George's  peo- 
ple) for  Canadians.  Kin-ditch-wdn-got'ty  is  the 
name  of  an  island  in  the  Chilkat  river,  so  called 
because  some  Canadians  once  camped  there. 
Gow'e  is  a  Thlinget  corruption  for  the  English 
coffee,  and  goo-nasties  for  molasses.  We  might 
multiply  examples  almost  indefinitely,  but  those 
cited  will  suffice  for  our  purpose. 

Some  of  their  borrowed  words  which  they  have 
incorporated  they  pronounce  correctly.  Among 
these  are  sugar  and  butter  in  English,  and  sha- 
deenga  (pig)  and  wos  (cow)  in  Russian. 

An  invention  known  as  the  Chinook,  a  jargon, 
has  also  had  a  share  in  corrupting  the  pure 
Thlinget.  Terms  from  this  linguistic  hybrid  are 
frequently  mixed  with  the  Thlinget.  Such  terms 
as  aiwasn  (Indian),  skookum  (strong),  tillicum 


PROPER  NAMES  37 

(people),  ienas  (little)  and  many  others  are  pure 
Chinook  words. 

All  Thlinget  proper  names  have  a  meaning; 
Sha-wat-kleri  (female)  means  big  woman;  Ka-uk- 
isti  (male)  means  f ather-of-the-morning ;  Shd- 
goon-e-ishr  (male)  father-of-tools.  All  names  ap- 
plied to  persons  are  in  a  sense  inherited  and 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation. 
While  the  Thlingets  have  no  surnames,  yet  most 
of  them  have  more  than  one  name.  Some  have 
three  or  four.  They  need  no  surnames  for  iden- 
tification, as  the  family  crest  serves  this  purpose. 
Their  names  refer  to  this  crest  or  totem,  and  as 
soon  as  one  hears  the  name  of  another  he  knows 
exactly  where  to  place  him. 

The  name  of  a  man  is  changed  when  he  be- 
comes a  father  and  he  is  called  after  his  child 
with  the  word  ish  (father)  appended.  If,  for  in- 
stance, the  child's  name  is  Hiilt-zoo',  the  father 
is  called  Hult-zoo-ish'  (the-father-of-Hult-zoo'). 

Certain  proper  names  belong  to  certain  tribes, 
and  only  members  of  the  tribe  to  which  the  names 
belong  can  assume  them.  By  this  system  each 
name  bears  on  the  totem  of  the  family,  and  the 
individual  is  classified  as  soon  as  his  name  is 
spoken.  If  he  is  among  strangers,  his  name  will 
show  who  are  his  tribal  relations.  This  secures 
him  friendship  and  hospitality. 

Many  of  the  natives  now  have  full  English  and 
Eussian  names  in  addition  to  their  Thlinget 
names.  The  writer  himself  has  given  English 
names  to  more  than  seven  hundred  of  them. 

The  paucity  of  the  Thlinget  language  is  not  so 
great  as  many  white  people  are  prone  to  think. 
One  thing  is  sure,  the  native  is  never  at  a  loss 
to  express  himself  in  his  own  tongue.  This,  how- 


38  THE  THLINGET  LANGUAGE 

ever,  may  not  be  due  so  much,  to  a  lengthy  vo- 
cabulary as  to  the  gift  of  speech;  the  English  is 
abundantly  sufficient  for  expression,  yet  not  a  few 
English-speaking  people  find  it  difficult  to  express 
themselves. 

Many  Thlingets  are  eloquent  in  speech.  Im- 
agery is  very  largely  used  by  them.  A  native 
youth  in  a  speech  likened  the  Presbyterian  Train- 
ing School  to  the  Sitka  harbour  which  is  sheltered 
from  the  ocean  waves  by  numerous  islands — so 
the  teachers  stand  round  and  about  the  pupils  to 
protect  them  from  the  evils  of  the  world. 

The  Thlinget  language  does  lack,  however, 
words  to  express  abstract,  spiritual  and  philo- 
sophical ideas.  It  contains  no  profane  words  nor 
any  oaths.  If  the  native  wishes  to  swear,  he  must 
go  outside  of  his  own  language  to  do  it.  But  it 
abounds  with  vulgar  and  sarcastic  terms,  and 
these  are  freely  employed  when  one  wants  to 
tongue-lash  another. 

What  it  lacks  in  abstract  terms  it  makes  up  in 
the  concrete.  For  example,  where  we  make  the 
one  word  "  nephew  "  apply  either  to  a  sister's 
or  a  brother's  son,  the  Thlingets  employ  different 
words.  Doo-hun-ha-yeet'  (nephew)  is  the  older 
brother's  son;  doo-keek-yeet' ,  the  younger  broth- 
er's son,  and  doo-Jcalth'k' ,  the  sister's  son. 

The  same  peculiarity  obtains  when  they  are 
speaking  of  brothers  and  sisters.  The  word  dif- 
fers according  to  whether  one  is  speaking  of  an 
older  or  younger  brother  or  sister,  or  whether 
a  woman  or  a  man  is  speaking.  A-lnoon  is  the 
word  used  for  brother  when  a  younger  brother  is 
speaking  of  an  older  one;  d-Jceek'  when  a  sister 
is  speaking  of  her  brother;  a-shut'V  when  a 
younger  sister  is  speaking  of  an  older  sister; 


PECULIARITIES  OF  LANGUAGE  39 

d-keek'  when  an  older  sister  is  speaking  of  a 
younger  sister,  and  d-klok'  when  a  man  is  speak- 
ing of  his  sister. 

Sunny  (uncle)  is  the  word  employed  when 
speaking  of  one's  father's  brother,  and  kok  (un- 
cle) when  speaking  of  a  mother's  brother.  Ot 
(aunt)  is  used  when  speaking  of  a  father's  sister, 
and  klouk  (aunt)  when  speaking  of  a  mother's 
sister. 

Different  terms  are  used  for  the  same  object 
according  as  to  whether  it  is  near  or  far  off  when 
you  are  speaking  of  it.  Some  things  have  three 
or  four  names. 

But  while  the  Thlinget  language  has  more  of  a 
vocabulary  than  most  people  think,  yet  it  is  ex- 
tremely deficient  for  the  needs  of  this  age.  The 
paucity  of  the  language  may  be  better  understood 
by  giving  an  illustration.  The  best  translation 
that  can  be  made  of  our  familiar  doxology,  and 
the  one  that  is  used  in  worship,  is  the  following : 

"  De-ke  On-kow  kuni-shag, 
Chuth-la-cut  ha-jeg  ya-a-ya-oo, 
Uch  chuih-la-cut  ye-wanch  huni-shag, 
Kuni-shag  ha-ish  tlahl-oohl-took." 

This  is  the  literal  English  translation : 

Above  chief  praise, 

All  of  us  gifts, 

For  all  you  praise, 

Praise  our  Father  very  pure. 

Scarcely  a  sentence  is  spoken  in  which  a  pe- 
culiar and  distressing  guttural  does  not  appear. 
This  alone  makes  it  very  difficult  for  a  white  man 


40  THE  THLINGET  LANGUAGE 

to  acquire.  We  have  no  alphabetical  character  to 
correspond  with  this  guttural,  and  with  some  of 
us  our  vocal  organs  seem  utterly  incapable  of  pro- 
ducing it. 

Although  the  Thlingets  have  no  written  lan- 
guage yet,  the  grammatical  construction  and  sen- 
tence structure  of  their  language  are  in  form  very 
much  like  the  Latin.  The  verbs  are  similarly  con- 
jugated, the  nouns  similarly  declined.  There  are 
but  few  of  the  former  in  the  language,  verb 
phrases  being  largely  used  instead,  and  these  are 
conjugated  as  verbs.  The  personal  pronoun  is  ex- 
pressed wholly  or  in  part,  or  implied,  in  every 
verb  or  verb  phrase. 

There  is  no  verb  "  to  be  "  in  the  language. 
Yd-ya-tee  (it  abides)  comes  the  nearest  to  it. 
There  are  no  separate  auxiliaries  such  as  will, 
may,  must,  etc.,  as  we  find  in  English. 

The  verbs  have  Voice,  Mood,  Tense,  Person  and 
Number.  The  nouns  and  pronouns  are  declined 
in  seven  cases.  The  plural  of  some  nouns  is  an 
entirely  different  word  from  the  singular,  cor- 
responding in  this  respect  with  some  of  our  Eng- 
lish plurals.  For  instance  yud-a-gwutz~koo  (boy) 
and  kd-sanee  (boys) ;  shot-gwutz'koo  (girl)  and 
shok-sanee  (girls). 

As  to  gender,  the  word  used  determines  whether 
the  object  is  male,  female  or  neuter.  Tlie  fem- 
inine gender  of  animals  is  determined  by  the  syl- 
lable shech;  goo-wa-kon'  (der)  and  shech-goo- 
wa-kori  (doe).  Shech'-a  being  the  generic  term 
for  all  female  animals. 

Like  the  Latin,  the  Thlinget  language  has  no 
article,  and,  practically  speaking,  no  preposition. 
Kd  (and)  is  its  main  and  almost  its  only  con- 
junction. 


DESIRABILITY  OF  LEARNING  ENGLISH    41 

In  the  structure  of  the  sentence  the  usual  order 
is  (1)  object,  (2)  subject,  and  (3)  verb. 

The  Thlinget  language  is  doomed  to  speedy  ex- 
tinction, the  sooner  the  better,  for  the  natives. 
They  have  no  access  to  literature  so  long  as  they 
are  shut  up  to  their  own  language,  and  so  they 
miss  its  elevating  influences.  In  the  second  place, 
their  language  is  useless  as  a  means  of  communi- 
cation with  white  people  who  are  now  populating 
their  country  and  with  whom  they  must  now  cope. 
It  is  certain  that  the  white  people  will  not  learn 
Thlinget.  If,  therefore,  the  natives  would  do  busi- 
ness with  the  white  people,  or  be  acquainted  with 
the  white  man's  laws  by  which  they  must  be  gov- 
erned, they  must  learn  English.  In  the  third 
place,  their  language  is  altogether  inadequate  for 
their  needs  as  their  intellectual  horizon  widens. 
In  the  fourth  place,  the  adoption  of  English  means 
that  they  will  far  more  rapidly  get  away  from 
their  old,  degrading  customs.  Nothing  retards 
the  progress  of  a  people  so  much  as  to  be  held 
to  a  language  fit  only  for  barbarians. 

The  sooner,  therefore,  that  the  natives  drop 
their  stunted  and  dwarfed  language  for  the  liberal 
English,  the  better.  No  encouragement  to  hold 
on  to  their  language  should  be  given  by  mis- 
sionaries and  teachers  learning  it  with  the 
view  of  addressing  them  in  it.  The  best  way 
of  elevating  them  is  to  make  them  climb  up 
to  us. 

While  it  was  necessary  for  missionaries, 
teachers  and  traders  to  learn  something  of  their 
language  when  they  first  went  among  them,  it  is 
not  required  now.  Many,  especially  among  the 
young  people,  have  already  a  good  command  of 
English  and  some  use  English  only.  The  day  is 


42  THE  THLINGET  LANGUAGE 

not  far  distant  when  native  audiences  can  be  ad- 
dressed directly  in  English  without  the  medium 
of  an  interpreter.  Then  their  complete  civiliza- 
tion and  progress  to  qualification  for  citizenship 
will  be  rapid. 

Mr.  William  Duncan,  who  has  so  nobly,  unself- 
ishly and  heroically  laboured  for  more  than  fifty 
years  with  the  Tsimpsheans  of  Alaska,  declares 
his  people  are  not  yet  qualified  for  citizenship. 
May  it  not  be  that  holding  on  to  their  own  tongue 
is  largely  responsible  for  this!  Their  language  is 
useless  outside  of  their  own  little  community; 
why  perpetuate  it  when  they  might  have  one  that 
is  universally  used  and  the  use  of  which  would 
increase  their  knowledge  a  hundredfold  and 
qualify  them  to  take  their  places  as  citizens  in  the 
body  politic? 

It  would  be  folly  to  attempt  to  reduce  the 
Thlinget  to  writing  and  ask  the  natives  to  learn 
it.  The  time  had  better  be  spent  in  acquiring  mas- 
tery of  the  English. 

Were  the  Thlingets  a  great  and  flourishing  na- 
tion like  the  Japanese  or  Chinese,  or  even  multi- 
tudinous like  the  Africans,  giving  promise  of  in- 
definite perpetuation  like  these  and  similar  people, 
then  it  would  no  doubt  be  wise  to  give  them  a 
literature  in  their  own  tongue  as  well  as  in  a  for- 
eign one;  for  in  these  multitudinous  races  many 
will  never  know  any  other  than  their  own  lan- 
guage and  the  race  is  itself,  relatively  speaking, 
perpetual.  But  with  the  little  tribes  of  Alaska  it 
is  very  different.  There  is  but  a  mere  handful  of 
any  one  of  them,  the  white  races  are  rapidly 
crowding  them  to  the  wall  and  nothing  can  stop  it, 
there  is  little  in  their  languages  to  merit  per- 
petuation, and  the  sooner  they  acquire  the  pre- 


THE  CHINOOK  JARGON  43 

vailing  language  of  the  land  the  better  chance  they 
will  have  for  existence  and  growth. 

While  in  some  localities,  especially  in  the  ex- 
treme southeastern  part  of  the  archipelago,  the 
Chinook  jargon  is  used  to  some  extent,  in  others 
it  is  scarcely  spoken  at  all.  It  was  invented  as  a 
means  by  which  traders  might  communicate  with 
the  natives  of  different  tongues  scattered  along 
the  coast  from  Oregon  to  Yakutat,  Alaska. 

Very  few  of  the  natives  living  north  of  Wran- 
gell  have  any  acquaintance  with  it,  and  those  who 
have,  seldom  use  it.  It  has  little  to  recommend 
it  to  the  serious  consideration  of  any  one,  other 
than  a  curiosity.  Its  vocabulary  is  very  limited, 
it  has  no  grammatical  construction,  and  is  not  a 
language,  but  an  invention  pure  and  simple.  This 
last  fact  is  the  only  thing  that  makes  it  of  any 
interest. 


V 
THE  FAMILY 

THE  husband  and  wife  always  belong  to  dif- 
ferent tribes.    According  to   a  long-estab- 
lished custom,  a  Thlinget  cannot  marry  one 
of  his  own  totem,  though  no  blood  relation. 

The  children  belong  to  the  totem  of  their 
mother,  and,  of  course,  receive  their  caste  from 
her.  The  father  has  no  authority  over  his  own 
children.  The  maternal  uncle  of  the  children  has 
far  more  to  say  about  them  than  the  father.  The 
aunts  on  the  maternal  side  have,  also,  all  author- 
ity over  their  nephews  and  nieces.  They  are  re- 
garded as  mothers  and  are  so  called  by  their 
nephews  and  nieces.  When  the  mother  dies  the 
father  must  relinquish  his  children  to  their  ma- 
ternal uncles  and  aunts.  If  the  father  were  to 
inflict  any  injury  on  his  child,  his  tribe  would  have 
to  pay  damages  to  his  wife's  tribe. 

The  father  loves  his  children  none  the  less  be- 
cause of  this  custom.  He  supports  them  to  the 
best  of  his  ability  so  long  as  they  are  under  his 
care.  When  the  mother  dies  and  the  children  are 
taken  by  her  relatives  they  assume  their  support. 
No  child  is  ever  cast  out  among  the  Thlingets. 
If  a  child  loses  both  parents,  some  relation  on 
the  maternal  side  claims  it  and  cares  for  it.  Fre- 
quently disputes  arise  about  who  should  have  the 
orphan  child,  so  desirous  are  relatives  of  taking 
their  deceased  relatives'  children. 

44 


TREATMENT  OF  NEPHEWS  AND  NIECES  45 

The  uncles  and  aunts  are  usually  as  good  to 
their  nephews  and  nieces  as  are  their  own  par- 
ents— often  better.  Uncles  are  especially  indul- 
gent toward  their  nephews.  In  fact  the  more 
liberties  they  take  the  better  the  uncles  like  it.  No 
uncle  would  think  of  imposing  restrictions  on  his 
nephew  in  his  own  home,  and  the  nephews  walk 
in  and  out  of  the  homes  of  their  uncles  as  if  they 
were  real  sons. 

Children  are  very  much  desired  by  Thlinget 
parents.  A  barren  wife  is  not  enviable.  Parents 
who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to  have  no  children 
sometimes  adopt  them.  Such  is  their  fondness 
for  children  that  some  natives  have  applied  to 
foundling  homes  in  Washington  for  white  babies. 
The  writer  was  asked  by  two  native  women  to 
write  to  a  foundling  home  in  Seattle  for  children 
for  them.  Both  have  been  married  a  number  of 
years,  but  have  no  family. 

Boys  are,  on  the  whole,  more  desirable  than 
girls,  because  a  man  is  esteemed  of  more  worth 
than  a  woman. 

Children  born  out  of  wedlock,  especially  illegiti- 
mate half-breeds,  are  more  or  less  despised.  In 
earlier  times  they  were  put  to  death  immediately 
after  birth.  "  Secret  "  children,  that  is,  children 
whose  fathers  cannot  be  determined  and  who  have, 
therefore,  no  visible  fathers,  are  still  in  some  in- 
stances destroyed  as  soon  as  born.  Strangulation 
is  the  usual  method  of  disposing  of  them.  In  for- 
mer years  they  were  taken  to  the  woods,  their 
mouths  stuffed  with  moss  or  grass,  and  then  they 
were  thrown  into  a  hole  to  die.  This  is  all  done 
as  secretly  as  possible  and  to  the  natives  it  is  no 
crime.  They  believe  that  if  it  is  not  done  very 
bad  luck  will  follow  the  family,  or  clan.  It  is  a 


46  THE  FAMILY 

difficult  matter  to  detect  this  crime,  as  they  can 
go  off  to  some  unfrequented  place,  camp  there  for 
awhile,  dispose  of  the  new-born  undesirable  and 
when  they  return  to  town  have  a  plausible  state- 
ment to  cover  up  the  crime. 

Until  within  recent  years  a  regular  doctor  was 
never  employed  by  the  natives  at  childbirth  and 
even  now  they  are  seldom  called  for  such  a  pur- 
pose. The  majority  of  Thlinget  women  suffer 
very  little,  and  some  not  at  all,  when  their  children 
are  born.  They  have  been  known  to  give  birth 
while  sleeping.  In  former  years  the  universal 
practice  was  for  the  mother  to  lie  outside  of  the 
house  in  a  booth,  or  in  the  bushes.  A  hole  was 
made  in  the  ground  and  lined  with  leaves  or  moss 
and  the  new-born  babe  was  deposited  in  it. 

In  an  incredibly  short  time  after  giving  birth 
to  a  child,  the  mother  is  up  and  about.  They  are 
often  sitting  up  and  sewing  or  doing  bead  or 
basket  work  in  a  few  hours.  "  Delivery,"  writes 
Dall,  "  takes  place  in  a  few  minutes,  the  mother 
kneeling ;  no  pain  is  experienced,  and  she  is  about 
again  and  at  her  work  in  half  an  hour." 

As  soon  as  the  Thlinget  babe  is  born  it  is  put 
into  swaddling  clothes  and  placed  in  a  strait- 
jacket  like  an  Indian  pappoose.  It  is  practically 
kept  in  this  for  a  year  or  more.  Hammocks  are 
made  by  doubling  a  blanket  and  running  a  rope 
through  each  fold.  This  is  hung  across  one  corner 
of  the  room  and  used  as  the  cradle  for  the  infant. 
A  string  is  attached  to  one  side  of  the  hammock 
so  that  the  mother,  while  at  her  sewing  or  basket- 
weaving,  may  pull  it  and  keep  the  hammock  in 
motion  to  rock  the  babe  to  sleep.  Infants  are 
seldom  weaned  under  three  years  of  age. 

Children  are  so  beloved  by  their  parents  that 


PARENTAL  INDULGENCE  OF  CHILDREN     47 

they  are  indulged  to  their  detriment.  They  are 
rarely  punished.  When  they  are  it  is  because  the 
parent  has  been  grievously  aggravated  by  them, 
and  then  punishment  is  brutally  administered. 
The  wishes  of  children  are  usually  gratified  to 
the  extent  of  the  parental  ability.  They  are  usu- 
ally allowed  to  have  their  own  way,  and  little  or 
no  parental  restraint  is  thrown  about  them.  This 
is  due  not  so  much  to  laxness  as  to  misdirected 
parental  love.  It  is  considered  a  mark  of  their 
love  to  let  their  children  have  what  they  demand 
and  do  as  they  please. 

Polyandry  is  rarely  practised.  In  the  many 
years  of  our  residence  among  them,  but  two  cases 
were  reported  to  us,  and  those  were  not  proven. 

The  domestic  life  of  the  average  Thlinget  fam- 
ily is  of  a  low  character.  Most  of  the  houses  have 
but  one  room  and  no  second  story.  In  this  one 
room  several  families  frequently  live  at  the  same 
time,  each  family  having  its  own  personal  effects, 
such  as  bedding,  cooking  utensils,  boxes  of  food, 
etc.  The  room  is  usually  bare  and  scant  of  fur- 
niture, a  box-stove  being  the  most  prominent  piece. 
In  some  may  be  found  bedsteads,  either  crudely 
made  by  the  native  himself  or  purchased,  but  the 
floor  is  oftener  used  for  sleeping  purposes.  The 
bedstead  often  holds  boxes,  trunks  and  other 
articles. 

Few  homes  have  chairs,  and  those  that  have  are 
not  supplied  with  enough  to  go  round.  It  is  popu- 
lar with  the  women  to  squat  on  the  floor.  While 
some  households  are  furnished  with  a  common 
table  (often  home-made),  many  families  do  not 
deem  this  an  indispensable  article  of  housekeep- 
ing. The  meal  is  more  frequently  spread  on  the 
floor  near  the  stove  than  on  the  table.  No  table- 


48  THE  FAMILY 

cloth  is  used.  Even  where  a  home  may  have  one 
or  more  tables,  there  may  be  more  families  than 
tables,  and  so  some  must  take  the  floor.  The  gen- 
eral use  of  the  table  is  to  hold  accumulated  dirty 
dishes.  There  is  no  regular  hour  for  eating,  and 
any  one  is  at  liberty  to  cook  at  any  moment  of  the 
day  or  night.  Husbands  cook  for  themselves 
nearly  as  often  as  their  wives  cook  for  them.  If 
the  husband  is  hungry  and  wants  his  meal,  the 
wife  gets  it  or  not,  as  she  is  disposed. 

The  greatest  disorder  prevails  in  the  average 
home.  We  could  hardly  expect  anything  else 
where  several  families  live  in  one  room,  and  each 
wait  for  the  others  to  clean  up.  Then,  too,  fami- 
lies are  going  and  coming  all  the  time,  and  we 
hear  them  complain  that  they  cannot  keep  a  home 
very  clean  for  these  reasons.  The  beds  are  mussy 
and  seldom  made  up.  During  the  day  they  are 
lounged  on  and  slept  in  without  the  one  using 
them  taking  off  any  clothes.  The  Thlinget  sleeps 
whenever  he  is  inclined  so  to  do.  We  have  found 
them  in  bed  at  all  hours  of  the  day,  and  often  seen 
them  sleeping  with  their  clothes  on  as  they  came 
off  the  street. 

The  dishes  and  skillets  are  usually  dirty.  Each 
family  cooks  and  eats  at  a  different  time  from  the 
others  in  the  house,  and  if  all  are  using  dishes  and 
skillets  in  common,  those  who  use  them  last  leave 
them  dirty  for  the  next  set  to  clean — if  they  wish 
them  cleaned.  Often  they  use  them  as  they  find 
them,  dirt  and  all. 

The  popular  method  of  cooking  is  boiling,  al- 
though broiling  and  roasting  are  also  used.  In 
former  years,  before  they  became  acquainted  with 
the  iron  pot,  they  did  their  boiling  in  baskets 
woven  of  the  spruce  fibre,  and  so  closely  as  to  be 


ROVING  49 

water-tight.  Stones  were  heated  and  dropped 
into  the  contents  of  the  basket  and  in  this  way 
boiling  was  done.  Few  natives  know  anything  of 
pastry  cooking. 

Any  member  of  the  household  eats  and  sleeps 
and  gets  up  when  he  feels  like  it.  No  restrictions 
are  imposed.  They  run  in  and  out,  engage  in  any 
employment  they  please,  all  without  let  or  hin- 
drance. Some  are  packing  up  to  move  out  while 
others  are  moving  in  to  stay. 

Many  of  them  own  no  home  personally,  but 
move  about  from  house  to  house  among  the  tribe. 
They  are  never  at  a  loss  to  find  some  place  in 
which  to  stay,  and  that  without  cost.  If  the 
owner  is  not  at  home  any  of  his  tribe  may  go  in 
and  make  themselves  at  home,  and  stay  as  long 
as  they  please. 

When  they  move  they  take  all  of  their  personal 
effects  with  them,  including  the  dogs. 

Dogs  are  highly  prized  for  hunting.  Some  men 
own  four  or  five.  They  are  of  a  wolfish  nature 
and  extremely  mean.  They  are  not  regarded  as 
pets  and  are  seldom  treated  as  such.  They  are 
left  to  get  their  own  food.  The  natives  have  a 
superstition  about  killing  a  dog.  If  some  one  else 
kills  him  the  owner  appraises  the  dog  very  highly 
and  clamours  for  pay.  He  suddenly  becomes  a 
valuable  creature,  though  before  he  was  killed  he 
was  utterly  worthless. 

Clothes  are  washed  in  several  ways.  A  common 
method  is  to  take  them  to  a  near-by  stream,  or 
the  bay,  and  wash  them  there  by  rubbing  the  gar- 
ments between  the  hands  or  on  a  washboard. 
Tubs  are  used  in  the  house,  but  are  invariably 
set  on  the  floor,  the  woman  squatting  beside  them 
she  rubs  the  articles  on  a  washboard  or 


50  THE  FAMILY 

between  her  hands.  Blankets  are  commonly 
washed  by  throwing  them  in  the  bay  and  treading 
on  them.  We  have  seen  the  women  treading 
blankets  when  the  weather  was  so  cold  that  their 
feet  and  legs  would  be  as  red  as  beets. 

Sewing  is  one  of  the  domestic  arts  of  the 
Thlingets.  Not  only  do  the  women  make  gar- 
ments and  patch  clothes,  but  they  use  the  needle 
in  making  moccasins,  mittens  and  various  kinds 
of  beadwork.  Some  of  them  handle  the  needle 
with  much  skill  and  do  very  fine  work.  In  this 
age  both  hand  and  pedal  sewing-machines  are  com- 
monly used  by  them. 

In  the  home  life  many  things  that  we  would 
regard  as  immodest  cause  no  comment  among 
the  natives.  A  mother  has  no  hesitancy  in  suck- 
ling her  child  in  public,  or  men  in  lounging  around 
half-clothed,  or  children  in  going  practically  nude. 

Gossiping  is  one  of  the  besetting  sins  of  the 
women.  You  can  hardly  go  into  a  home  without 
encountering  a  group  of  gossips,  and  quarrels  fre- 
quently result  from  rumours  thus  set  in  motion. 

Family  quarrels  are  all  too  frequent.  Jealousy 
prompts  some,  while  indiscreet  acts  and  ungov- 
ernable tempers  are  at  the  bottom  of  others.  The 
husband  chastises  his  wife,  sometimes  beating  her 
unmercifully.  The  wife  does  not  always  tamely 
submit  to  this,  but  defends  herself  to  the  best  of 
her  ability.  Often  she  is  more  than  a  match  for 
her  husband  in  brute  strength  and  in  the  science 
of  handling  her  fists.  Biting  is  a  common  mode 
of  inflicting  injury  upon  one  another  when  quar- 
relling. 

The  status  of  a  Thlinget  wife  is  not  that  of  a 
slave  to  her  master.  She  is  as  independent  as  he, 
and  she  asserts  her  independence,  too.  In  truth, 


STATUS  OF  WIFE  51 

the  average  husband  stands  more  in  fear  of  his 
wife  than  she  does  of  him.  The  husband's  earn- 
ings are  wholly  turned  over  to  his  wife.  She  is, 
therefore,  the  banker  of  the  household.  If  he  de- 
sires to  make  a  purchase  he  must  appeal  to  her 
and  get  her  consent.  Sometimes  she  declines  to 
give  him  what  he  asks  for,  or  disapproves  of  him 
making  the  contemplated  purchase.  If  spirited 
and  he  realizes  that  he  can  master  her,  he  forces 
her  to  give  him  the  required  amount.  Ordinarily, 
however,  he  meekly  acquiesces  in  the  wife's  de- 
cision. If  he  wishes  to  buy  any  article  in  the 
store,  or  from  any  one,  she  must  first  see  it  for 
herself  or  be  told  about  it.  If  she  approves,  well 
and  good.  If  she  objects,  that  usually  settles  it 
and  the  purchase  is  not  made.  She  is  so  inde- 
pendent that  she  makes  him  wash  his  own  clothes 
and  cook  his  own  food.  This  is  always  the  case 
when  she  is  angry  at  him  for  any  cause.  No  per- 
son is  more  stubborn  than  the  average  Thlinget 
woman.  You  can  neither  coax  nor  drive  her.  She 
would  sooner  be  beaten  to  a  pulp  than  have  to 
admit  she  was  compelled  to  do  a  thing.  If  she 
did  she  would  be  sneered  at  as  a  slave,  and  that 
would  be  worse  than  death,  for  slaves  are  de- 
spised as  the  very  lowest  of  creatures. 

Some  consider  it  a  mark  of  weakness  to  yield 
to  the  demands  of  their  husbands,  and  for  this 
reason  they  often  oppose  them.  In  fact,  instead 
of  being  drudges  of  their  husbands,  they  do  no 
more  than  they  feel  disposed  to  do;  and  with 
some  this  is  very  little. 

In  the  Thlinget  household  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  a  voluntary  servant,  or  servant  for  hire;  nor, 
in  this  day,  from  compulsion.  In  the  days  of 
slavery  slaves  were  compelled  to  labour  for  their 


52  THE  FAMILY 

masters  and  for  their  master's  household.  But 
the  days  of  slavery  have  passed. 

The  average  Thlinget  home  is  run  in  a  loose, 
slipshod  fashion,  but  there  are  some  which  are 
nicely  kept,  in  which  order  prevails,  where  the 
children  are  reasonably  cared  for,  and  where 
marks  of  refinement  are  not  wanting.  In  com- 
munities where  the  white  population  is  considera- 
ble, native  families  live  interspersed  among  them. 
These  families,  as  a  rule,  live  along  the  advanced 
lines  of  civilization  and  manage  their  homes  as 
creditably  as  the  ordinary  white  families  manage 
theirs. 

In  taking  native  family  life  into  account,  it 
should  be  remembered  from  what  the  people  have 
emerged,  the  many  drawbacks  with  which  they 
have  to  contend,  the  little  means  and  few  facilities 
they  have  at  their  disposal,  and  their  lack  of  edu- 
cation. It  is  a  question  if  the  average  white 
woman  placed  in  the  same  environment  and  under 
the  same  handicaps  would  do  any  better  than  the 
average  Thlinget  woman  does  in  the  way  of  keep- 
ing a  neat  and  orderly  home.  The  home  lacks 
every  facility  for  good  housekeeping,  has  but  the 
one  room,  without  closets  or  racks  for  garments, 
is  subject  to  constant  inroads  of  entire  families, 
and  the  housekeeper  labours  under  conditions  that 
afford  only  a  bare  subsistence.  All  things  con- 
sidered, the  Thlingets  have  made  splendid  prog- 
ress. History  shows  that  they  have  climbed  away 
from  savagery  much  more  rapidly  than  our  savage 
forefathers  did,  and  much  more  rapidly  than  have 
many  other  races. 


VI 

THE  COMMUNITY 

EACH  community  of  natives  is  independent  of 
every  other.  There  is  no  federation.  The 
only  bond  of  unity  is  the  tribal,  or  totemic, 
bond. 

As  a  rule,  the  communities  are  many  miles 
apart.  Safe  and  cozy  harbours,  with  nice  beaches, 
are  chosen  for  town-sites.  "  The  native  hamlets 
are  always  built  near  the  shore,  accessibility  to 
the  water  being  the  first  consideration,  because 
from  that  source  comes  nine-tenths  of  their  sub- 
sistence. " 

The  villages  are  constructed  to  conform  to  the 
contour  of  the  shore.  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
laying  out  a  town-site.  They  have  no  knowledge 
of  surveying.  The  villages  can  hardly  be  said  to 
have  any  streets,  as  every  native  is  desirous  of 
having  his  home  directly  on  the  water-front.  But 
in  most  instances  the  beaches  are  short,  between 
precipitous  shore  lines,  so  that  some  must  build 
back  from  the  shore. 

By  building  next  to  the  beach  no  clearing  the 
ground  is  necessary.  The  Thlinget  avoids  all  ex- 
ertion possible ;  he  will  not  cut  down  trees  and  dig 
out  stumps  for  a  clearing  unless  it  is  absolutely 
required.  He  usually  claims  no  more  ground  than 
his  house  occupies,  except  the  frontage.  He  has 
no  homestead,  nor  ranch,  nor  estate.  He  can  ac- 

*  "  Alaska,"  Ballou,  page  194. 

53 


54  THE  COMMUNITY 

quire  no  title  to  anything :  land,  homestead,  min- 
eral claim  or  any  other  property.  It  is  hard  to 
define  the  native's  status.  He  is  declared  not  a 
citizen  of  any  country.  Since  he  supports  himself 
he  is  not  a  ward  of  any  country.  And  yet  the 
United  States  claims  to  have  jurisdiction  over  him. 
It  sues  him  and  imprisons  him,  but  it  will  not  let 
him  vote,  have  any  voice  in  making  the  laws  by 
which  he  is  governed,  or  acquire  title  to  property. 
In  rights,  he  is  treated  as  a  foreigner,  but  in  pun- 
ishment as  a  citizen.  If  he  has  a  house  and  land 
he  cannot  sell  them  and  give  title.  Because  of 
this  anomalous  position  in  which  he  finds  him- 
self, he  has  no  incentive  to  acquire  land  and  im- 
prove it,  or  to  prospect  for  minerals.  In  but  few 
instances  has  he  profited  from  gold  discoveries. 
Consequently  all  ambition  in  this  direction  is 
stifled.  He  plants  his  little  home  by  the  sea, 
or  on  the  river  bank,  and  therewith  rests  con- 
tent. 

•Many  of  the  houses  are  set  at  every  conceivable 
angle.  Had  the  houses  in  some  villages  been 
dumped  out  of  the  clouds  they  could  scarcely  have 
lodged  in  a  more  disorderly  arrangement. 

A  monotonous  appearance  characterizes  nearly 
every  village.  But  still  the  people  are  improving 
in  their  building  and  give  promise  of  approaching, 
at  least,  the  ordinary  home  and  architecture  of  the 
white  man  in  the  near  future. 

Years  ago,  while  massive  communal  houses  con- 
stituted some  villages,  others  were  composed  of 
mere  shacks  and  huts.  The  roofs  were  made  of 
slabs  and  cedar  bark  carelessly  thrown  over  pole 
rafters.  No  house  had  a  chimney  or  a  window. 
A  large  aperture  in  the  centre  of  the  roof  served 
for  both.  They  were  put  up  in  the  most  slipshod 


ADVANTAGES  AND  IMPROVEMENTS     55 

fashion,  with  the  least  labour  possible,  and  had 
the  appearance  of  being  ready  to  tumble  down. 

In  justice  to  the  natives,  be  it  said  that  they 
were  not  to  blame  for  the  squalid,  miserable  vil- 
lages of  years  ago.  In  the  first  place,  there  are 
few  places  in  southeastern  Alaska  suitable  for  a 
town-site,  because  the  shores  are  so  mountainous. 
In  those  days  there  were  no  sawmills,  and  every 
stick  put  into  a  house  had  to  be  hand-hewed.  Then 
the  few  tools  they  had  were  very  rude  and  they 
knew  almost  nothing  about  carpentry.  Hence  they 
were  greatly  handicapped  and  built  under  serious 
disadvantages. 

Now  they  are  in  possession  of  good  tools,  have 
sawmills  and  hardware  stores  to  draw  on  for  suit- 
able materials  to  put  into  buildings.  They  have 
also  some  knowledge  of  carpentry.  Some  have 
served  apprenticeships  to  the  trade  and  are  now 
skilful  in  handling  tools.  These  advantages  have 
brought  great  changes  in  their  building.  The 
rude,  dilapidated,  windowless  huts  and  hovels 
have  been  replaced  with  frame  houses  having  win- 
dows and  chimneys  and  shingled  roofs.  And  not 
only  have  their  homes  been  improved  in  outward 
appearance,  but  the  interiors  are  incomparably 
better.  Formerly  they  were  never  ceiled.  The 
mere  rough  boards  stared  one  in  the  face,  with 
cracks  wide  enough  to  thrust  the  finger  through 
them.  But  now  their  houses  are  ceiled  and  many 
of  them  nicely  papered  and  painted.  The  new  vil- 
lages that  have  sprung  up  consist  of  up-to-date 
houses.  There  are  several  old,  abandoned  villages 
with  ancient  communal  houses  and  totem  poles. 
These  primitive  towns  present  a  weird  appear- 
ance, and,  if  they  could  talk,  would  tell  some 
thrilling  tales. 


56  THE  COMMUNITY 

Changed  conditions  and  the  example  of  the 
white  people  of  the  States  have,  no  doubt,  led  to 
these  improvements.  Under  the  Russian  regime 
the  natives  saw  no  modern  style  buildings. 

In  addition  to  the  main  villages,  there  are  sum- 
mer camps  for  fishing  and  berry  picking,  and 
winter  lodges  for  trapping  and  hunting.  The  ter- 
ritory of  each  community,  that  is,  the  fishing  and 
hunting  territory,  is  well  known  to  all.  There  is 
no  encroaching  on  one  another's  grounds,  as  all 
are  at  liberty  to  roam  where  they  will. 

In  every  community  there  are  two  or  more  dif- 
ferent tribes.  A  chief  is  at  the  head  of  each,  and 
nothing  of  importance  is  undertaken  without  first 
consulting  him.  Generally  his  word  is  law  with 
his  people.  The  individual  counts  for  little  unless 
of  high  rank,  or  caste.  The  tribe  is  the  ruling 
power  in  every  community,  and  usually  does  as 
the  chief  says.  All  grievances  are  redressed  and 
reprisals  made  by  the  tribe.  When  an  individual 
is  wronged  the  tribe  at  once  takes  up  his  cause; 
when  shamed  or  insulted,  the  tribe  at  once  re- 
sents it;  when  in  need  of  assistance,  the  tribe  is 
ever  ready  to  help  him.  Marriages,  house  build- 
ing, burials,  feasts,  potlatches,  dances,  the  erec- 
tion of  totem  poles,  and  many  other  things  are 
matters  for  tribal  consideration. 

They  have  no  municipal  government  nor  public 
utilities.  There  are  no  taxes,  as  there  are  no 
public  expenses  or  offices.  The  only  public  spirit 
expressed  is  that  through  the  tribe  to  its  own 
members. 

As  a  community,  they  will  suffer  the  greatest 
inconvenience  rather  than  lift  a  hand  for  the 
public  good.  No  one  would  think  of  removing  the 
carcass  of  a  dead  dog,  or  a  salmon,  from  their 


PUBLIC  UTILITIES  57 

midst,  of  digging  a  well,  or  performing  other 
service  for  the  public  weal. 

Not  until  recently  have  they  shown  disposition 
to  establish  any  public  utilities  whatever.  Some 
villages  now  have  plank  sidewalks  and  public 
halls,  and  in  one  or  two  places  they  run  a  few 
electric  street  lamps.  In  time  the  spirit  may 
grow. 

In  one  community,  that  of  Kluckwan,  they  have 
installed  a  public  water  system,  leading  the  water 
from  the  mountain  to  the  village  through  pipes. 
The  missionary  of  that  place  was  the  prime 
mover  in  the  enterprise.  The  natives  rallied  to 
the  project,  and  now  they  have  good  water  with 
strong  pressure. 

The  sanitary  conditions  of  nearly  every  native 
community  are  deplorable.  Were  it  not  that  the 
beneficent  tides  flush  the  beaches  twice  every 
twenty-four  hours  nothing  could  have  saved  them 
from  extinction  years  ago  by  some  malignant  epi- 
demic produced  by  their  own  filth  and  careless- 
ness. 

In  some  localities,  the  more  progressive  and 
enlightened  natives  live  apart  from  the  unsavoury 
village.  A  number  of  native  homes  are  known  to 
us  that  are  as  tidy  and  inviting  as  the  ordinary 
white  man's  home.  At  Sitka  they  have  a  cottage 
settlement  in  connection  with  the  Presbyterian 
mission,  which  is  a  mile  away  from  the  common 
native  village.  The  cottages  in  this  settlement 
are  occupied  and  owned  by  those  who  were  once 
pupils  of  the  mission,  but  are  now  married  and 
have  families.  The  homes  are  neatly  furnished 
and  kept,  and  life  is  on  a  much  higher  plane  than 
in  the  ordinary  native  village. 

The  social  life  of  the  average  native  community 


58  THE  COMMUNITY 

is  of  a  very  low  tone.  They  have  very  little  to 
break  the  monotony  of  life.  Aside  from  feasting 
and  dancing  they  have  practically  no  amusements. 
Public  quarrels  are  common  and  a  source  of  enter- 
tainment to  the  staring  spectators,  as  they  rarely 
fail  to  draw  an  audience.  All  domestic  troubles 
are  fully  aired  and  made  subjects  of  gossip.  Noth- 
ing is  hidden,  hence  we  see  the  entire  dark  side 
of  the  native  as  well  as  his  good  side.  They  are 
not  as  clever  in  this  respect  as  the  white  people 
are.  There  are  no  skeletons  tucked  away  in  na- 
tive families,  for  the  acts  of  one  are  familiar  to 
all  the  others.  Privacy  is  hardly  known  among 
them.  It  cannot  be  maintained  very  well  under 
their  system  of  living,  with  families  bunched  to- 
gether. 

The  Thlinget's  bump  of  curiosity  is  well  devel- 
oped, and  anything  out  of  the  ordinary,  as  an 
accident,  a  birth,  a  death  or  a  quarrel,  never  fails 
to  draw  a  crowd. 

The  women  gossip  unrestrainedly  about  every 
one  who  comes  to  mind,  and  often  mix  their  gossip 
with  many  grains  of  falsehood.  Some  of  them 
have  great  ingenuity  as  fabricators,  telling  things 
for  fact  that  are  a  mere  tissue  of  lies. 

They  walk  in  and  out  of  one  another's  homes 
without  the  formality  of  knocking  on  the  door. 
A  woman  may  be  in  the  very  act  of  changing  her 
garments  when  Mr.  Quakish  steps  in  unan- 
nounced to  visit  her  husband.  This  does  not  em- 
barrass her  in  the  least.  She  proceeds  as  if  no 
one  had  called.  They  walk  out  as  unceremoni- 
ously as  they  walk  in.  Having  sat  long  enough 
they  arise  and  walk  out  without  saying  a  word 
or  taking  notice  of  any  one.  In  turn,  the  guest  is 
as  little  noticed.  If  the  occupants  of  the  house 


STRATA  OP  SOCIETY  59 

are  busy  with  sewing,  making  baskets,  carving, 
etc.,  they  never  suspend  work  for  a  visitor.  The 
men  are  very  taciturn  when  visiting,  often  com- 
ing in  and  sitting  for  awhile  without  saying  a 
word  and  then  passing  out. 

Life  in  the  village  is  very  different  in  the  sum- 
mer from  what  it  is  in  the  winter.  In  the  summer 
very  few  remain,  some  villages  being  absolutely 
deserted.  The  people  are  mostly  off  to  their 
summer  camps  and  places  of  occupation,  hence 
it  is  very  quiet  in  town.  In  the  fall  they  return 
for  the  winter,  and  festivities  begin.  Winter  is 
th>  Thlinget 's  play  time.  Summer  is  the  time  for 
work. 

Rank  and  caste  play  an  important  part  in  every 
Thlinget  community.  While  caste  does  not  bear 
as  vigorously  on  the  Alaskans  as  it  does  on  the 
Hindoos  of  India,  yet  it  is  very  pronounced  and 
severely  felt. 

There  are  four  strata  of  Thlinget  society,  the 
high,  medium,  low  and  the  slaves.  There  are 
none  of  the  last  now,  except  a  few  "  left-overs. " 
They  all  mingle  in  the  community,  the  low  and 
the  high  visiting  and  talking  with  one  another. 
But  in  marriage,  at  feasts,  in  public  councils,  and 
in  the  settlement  of  wrongs  and  injuries,  class 
distinctions  are  always  asserted.  The  high-caste 
family  strenuously  opposes  the  marriage  of  one 
of  its  number  to  one  of  a  lower  class. 

The  sister  of  a  certain  chief  known  to  us  mar- 
ried one  of  a  lower  caste.  The  chief  not  only 
disowned  her,  but  threatened  to  kill  her  for  the 
disgrace.  In  earlier  times  a  brother  had  the  right 
to  kill  a  sister  who  disgraced  the  family  in  any 
way. 

A  low-caste  man  paid  the  dowry  for  a  high- 


60  THE  COMMUNITY 

caste  woman.  Her  tribe  quickly  had  it  returned, 
as  they  would  not  countenance  such  a  marriage. 

At  feasts  they  are  given  positions  and  goods 
according  to  rank  and  caste.  In  public  councils  it 
would  be  considered  a  shame  for  those  of  high- 
caste  connections  to  listen  to  talk  from  those  of 
a  lower  class.  I  once  employed  as  church  inter- 
preter a  native  who  had  been  a  slave.  The  people 
of  the  higher  classes  refused  to  take  instruction 
through  such  a  medium.  When  I  found  out  the 
reason  of  their  coldness  I  changed  interpreters, 
and  the  work  took  on  new  life  from  that  moment. 

The  lines  of  caste  are  also  marked  by  the  atti- 
tude the  lower  take  toward  the  higher  classes. 
The  low-caste  man  must  be  very  careful  what  he 
says  to  the  high-caste  fellow.  The  man  of  high- 
caste  totem  can  say  what  he  pleases  to  a  member 
of  his  own  phratry  who  is  of  a  lower  caste,  and 
the  latter  must  meekly  take  it. 

Caste  is  revealed  in  property  affairs.  The  low 
caste  are  not  allowed  to  erect  houses  and  totems, 
or  to  build  canoes  equal  to  those  of  a  higher  class. 
Certain  names  are  not  allowed  to  be  used  by  in- 
ferior classes.  The  totem  governs  all  naming  of 
the  natives. 

Tradition  says  that  long  ago  the  natives  were 
savages  and  went  naked.  After  awhile  they  made 
clothing  of  skins,  and  used  sinews  of  animals  for 
threads.  The  babies  that  were  well  cared  for 
and  wrapped  in  furs  were  considered  superior  to 
those  that  were  wrapped  in  moss  and  neglected. 
The  high-caste,  or  well-raised  baby,  had  eight 
feasts  given  in  its  honour,  and  was  then  given  an 
honourable  name.  Thus  caste  was  established. 

Children  of  high-caste  parentage  are  high  caste 
by  inheritance.  The  child  of  parents  who  are  high 


THE  CHIEF  61 

on  one  side  and  low  on  the  other  loses  caste.  Men 
of  wealth,  that  is,  those  possessing  many  blankets, 
trunks,  and  dancing  paraphernalia  such  as  masks, 
hats,  dancing  robes,  etc.,  are  very  highly  es- 
teemed. So  are  mighty  hunters. 

As  caste  serves  to  distinguish  classes,  rank  does 
the  same  for  individuals.  The  Ikt  (shaman)  was 
at  one  time  the  most  highly  revered  person  among 
them.  He  was  esteemed  as  one  having  super- 
natural powers,  and  was  honoured  above  all 
others  not  only  in  life  but  in  death. 

Next  to  the  shaman  in  station  is  the  chief  (on- 
kow'wd).  The  office  is  hereditary  or  elective. 
When  the  chief  dies  the  office  does  not  entail  on 
his  son,  as  the  crown  does  in  European  kingdoms, 
but  on  his  brother  or  his  nephew,  the  son  of  his 
sister — the  son  of  the  oldest  if  he  has  more  than 
one.  This  is  to  keep  the  chieftainship  within  the 
correct  tribal  bounds.  The  man's  son  is  never 
a  member  of  his  tribe,  but  always  of  the  mother 's. 
A  man's  sister's  son  is  by  force  of  custom  always 
a  member  of  his  clan  or  tribe.  His  brother's  son 
would  not  be.  For  this  reason  the  son  of  the 
chief's  sister  is  recognized  as  the  true  heir  to  the 
office  of  chief. 

The  chief  is  not  only  respected  by  all  classes  in 
his  community,  but  throughout  the  entire  country, 
no  one  daring  to  give  him  umbrage  except  one  of 
his  own  class  or  rank.  He  is  generally  obeyed  and 
supported  by  the  members  of  his  tribe.  He  con- 
siders it  beneath  his  dignity  to  carry  the  slightest 
parcel.  His  game  is  procured  and  his  domestic 
fires  are  kept  up  for  him.  In  former  years,  when 
slavery  was  in  vogue,  his  slaves  did  his  bidding. 
While  his  authority  is  not  so  great  now  as  it  was, 
yet  he  has  no  trouble  to  find  those  who  are  obedi- 


62  THE  COMMUNITY 

ent  to  his  orders.  He  is  respected  at  all  feasts 
and  potlatches,  his  being  the  seat  of  honour  and 
the  largest  share  in  the  distribution  of  goods. 
None  of  a  lower  rank  is  allowed  to  build  so  large 
a  house  as  his,  or  give  a  greater  potlatch.  When 
one  of  his  own  tribe  wishes  to  build,  he  dictates 
the  dimensions  of  the  house. 

Some  tribes  have  more  than  one  chief.  When 
this  is  so  they  are  not  of  equal  rank.  The  Thlin- 
gets  are  very  supercilious  about  caste  and  rank. 
This  does  not  appear  on  the  surface,  but  is  seen 
when  we  understand  their  customs. 

In  this  day,  we  find  in  every  considerable  com- 
munity two  classes,  the  older  ones,  who  are 
tenacious  of  the  old  customs  and  superstitions, 
and  the  younger  ones,  or  rising  generation,  who 
are  striving  to  get  away  from  them.  These  two 
classes  often  conflict,  but  the  former  have  mostly 
proven  the  stronger.  Their  power,  however,  is 
constantly  waning  and  it  is  only  a  question  of  a 
few  years  when  they  and  their  customs  will  have 
gone  forever.  Some  have  entirely  dropped  the 
old  customs  and  are  living  on  the  plane  of  the 
white  man. 

As  the  native  communities  in  Alaska  are  con- 
stantly undergoing  change,  what  is  true  of  them 
to-day  may  not  be  true  of  them  five  or  ten  years 
hence.  Many  things  that  were  true  of  them 
twenty  years  ago  are  not  true  of  them  now. 

It  would  not  be  correct  nor  just  to  take  descrip- 
tions of  native  communities  written  more  than  a 
score  of  years  ago,  as  applying  in  all  respects  to 
the  same  to-day.  Not  only  the  houses,  but  many 
of  the  customs  and  manners  which  were  common 
at  that  time  have  passed  away.  New  conditions 
are  constantly  confronting  the  natives  and  they 


MIXTURE  OF  WHITES  AND  NATIVES    63 

are  more  or  less  conforming  to  them.  War,  slav- 
ery, gambling,  cremations,  polygamy  and  other 
customs  that  were  rife  a  generation  ago  are  no 
longer  practised. 

Many  communities  are  now  populated  by  white 
people  and  natives.  In  some  of  these  towns  the 
natives  live  in  a  community  by  themselves,  in 
others  they  are  mixed  in  with  the  white  races. 

The  founding  of  towns  by  white  men  has  drawn 
colonies  of  natives  from  their  own  villages  of 
ancient  standing  to  such  communities  for  employ- 
ment, and  this  has  had  a  marked  effect  on  native 
life;  in  some  respects  for  good  and  in  some  for 
evil.  There  are  also  two  prominent  factors  in 
every  village  that  were  not  to  be  found  a  little 
more  than  a  generation  ago — the  church  and  the 
school. 


vn 

PERSONAL    APPEAEANCE,    DRESS    AND 
ORNAMENTATION 

WHILE -some  of  the  natives  take  no  pride 
in  their  personal  appearance,  many  of 
them  dress  in  good  taste  and  make  a  very 
favourable  impression.  This  is  especially  true 
of  the  rising  generation,  and  may  be  taken  as  a 
mark  of  their  progress. 

The  native  youth  wear  good  suits  with  up-to- 
date  neckwear,  and  the  young  women  have  dresses 
and  cloaks  in  harmony  with  the  fashion  of  the 
day. 

At  home  and  in  their  own  villages  they  are  in- 
clined to  show  an  utter  disregard  of  their  per- 
sonal appearance.  The  women  are  worse  than  the 
men  in  this  respect.  They  not  only  go  about  their 
homes,  but  visiting  through  the  village,  with  di- 
shevelled hair  and  unlaced  shoes.  When  they  ap- 
pear on  the  streets  and  in  the  stores  of  the  white 
man's  settlement  they  are  dressed  neatly  and 
tidily,  as  a  rule. 

The  men  generally  appear  well  in  public,  buy- 
ing and  wearing,  for  the  most  part,  the  best 
clothes  that  can  be  bought.  This  is  especially  true 
of  those  natives  who  live  near  any  considerable 
white  population. 

The  native  dress  is  far  in  advance  of  what  it  was 
some  years  ago.  For  a  long  time  the  blanket  was 
the  principal,  and  often  the  only,  article  of  dress. 

64 


FEMALE  HEADGEAR  65 

Even  to  this  day  it  is  the  only  cloak  used  by  some, 
but  as  an  article  of  dress  it  is  practically  a  back 
number. 

We  note  again  the  evolution  in  the  headgear  of 
native  women.  A  few  years  ago  the  universal 
headgear  was  a  large  kerchief.  All  kinds  of 
colours  and  combinations  of  colours  were  worn. 
"  Groups  of  natives  in  bright-coloured  blankets, 
with  scarlet  and  yellow  handkerchiefs  on  their 
heads,  come  into  view,  watching  us  curiously 
as  we  glide  over  the  smooth  water. ' '  *  This 
style  of  headgear  has  given  way  to  hats  and 
bonnets. 

Many  have  extra  good  clothing  which  they  wear 
only  on  special  occasions,  such  as  Fourth  of  July, 
Christmas  and  Easter.  At  these  times  their 
finery  is  brought  out  and  worn  for  the  day,  then 
taken  off  and  laid  away  until  the  special  day 
comes  round  again. 

Some  display  remarkably  good  taste  and  are 
well  and  becomingly  dressed,  while  others,  having 
no  sense  of  the  fitness  of  things,  exhibit  very  bad 
taste.  An  old  woman  will  appear  in  dress  and 
colours  suitable  only  for  a  girl,  while  a  girl  may 
appear  in  such  as  are  suitable  only  for  elderly 
persons.  Their  combinations  of  colours  may  do 
all  violence  to  good  taste. 

We  must  remember,  however,  that  good  taste  is 
the  result  of  cultivation  and  education.  Eefined 
taste  is  acquired,  not  inherited.  Let  a  prince  grow 
up  in  a  hovel  from  infancy  and  he  may  be  coarse 
and  vulgar.  On  the  other  hand,  put  the  child  of 
a  beggar  into  a  family  of  refinement  and  he  is 
likely  to  become  refined  in  his  manners  and 
tastes. 

*Ballou,  page  194. 


66  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE 

So  if  we  see  our  natives  blundering  in  taste  as 
they  advance  in  civilization  we  should  not  be  sur- 
prised nor  ridicule  them.  It  would  be  a  marvel 
if  they  did  not.  It  is  really  remarkable  that  so 
many  of  them  appear  in  public  so  well  dressed 
when  we  remember  that  the  race  has  only  re- 
cently had  opportunities  for  development  along 
these  lines. 

Their  love  of  ornamentation  is  innate,  but  they 
are  not  peculiar  in  this.  The  farther  down  the 
scale  of  civilization  the  more  pronounced  is  this 
characteristic,  and  it  is  carried  in  some  instances 
to  a  ludicrous  excess. 

The  Thlingets  of  to-day  are  not  so  given  to 
personal  ornamentation  as  they  were  a  few  years 
ago.  Their  taste  in  this  respect,  as  in  others,  is 
constantly  improving.  Formerly  their  decora- 
tions were  excessive,  ludicrous  and  grotesque. 
Kings  were  worn  not  only  on  the  fingers  but  in 
the  ears  and  the  nose.  The  cartilage  in  the  nose 
of  every  Thlinget  is  punctured  for  nose  rings,  but 
these  were  worn  only  in  dancing.  Earrings  are 
yet  commonly  worn  by  females.  They  were  worn 
by  men  a  few  years  ago,  but  now  you  rarely  see 
one  with  them.  At  dances  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren wear  them.  Some  men  have  three  punctures 
for  rings  in  each  ear,  one  in  the  lobe,  one  in  the 
middle,  and  one  at  the  top.  There  are  ear-drops 
made  from  shark's  teeth  that  are  highly  prized. 
They  are  triangular  in  shape,  and  are  worn  only 
at  dances.  The  upper  end  is  usually  mounted 
with  gold  or  silver. 

Every  Thlinget  child  has  his  ears  and  nose 
pierced  for  rings  the  day  he  is  born.  Yarn  or 
grass  is  put  in  the  opening  to  keep  it  from  grow- 
ing together.  In  earlier  years  rings  were  worn  in 


JEWELLERY  67 

the  ears  and  nose,  not  only  for  ornamentation, 
but  to  show  that  the  child's  parents  were  not 
poor.  If  a  child  had  no  ring  or  jewellery  of  any 
kind  he  was  looked  down  upon  and  his  people  were 
despised. 

In  early  times  earrings  were  made  of  copper, 
silver  and  gold,  and  in  shape  were  round,  ex- 
cepting the  shark  tooth  pendant.  To-day  the  style 
of  earring  or  pendant  varies,  as  they  have  a  wide 
range  from  which  to  select. 

The  women  and  girls  are  very  fond  of  the 
finger-ring  (tlaka-keas)  and  the  bracelet  (Jceas). 
Even  to  this  day  women  may  be  seen  with  rings 
on  every  finger  of  each  hand  and  several  bracelets 
on  each  wrist.  These  are  made  by  native  silver- 
smiths out  of  silver  and  gold  coin.  The  coin  is 
melted  and  pounded  into  shape  and  then  all  kinds 
of  totemic  designs  are  carved  on  them.  Some  of 
the  bracelets  are  more  than  an  inch  wide,  and 
made  not  only  of  silver  but  of  pure  gold.  The 
latter  range  in  value  from  twenty  to  forty  dollars 
each. 

Until  recently  they  preferred  silver  jewellery  to 
gold.  Now  that  they  know  the  value  of  gold,  they 
esteem  the  gold  jewellery  more  highly. 

Neck  chains  and  stick-pins  are  commonly  worn. 
Formerly  necklaces  were  made  of  shark's  teeth, 
shells,  pretty  beads  and  stones.  While  bead  neck- 
laces are  still  worn,  they  are  being  gradually  sup- 
planted by  gold  ones.  Both  gold  and  silver  pins 
are  made  in  all  kinds  of  designs  (chiefly  totemic) 
by  native  silversmiths.  Coin  is  invariably  used 
by  native  artists  for  all  jewellery. 

The  ordinary  native  is  as  well  satisfied  with  a 
brass  pin  studded  with  glass  gems  as  with  one 
of  pure  gold  studded  with  diamonds.  The  glitter 


68  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE 

is  the  chief  consideration.  But  the  better  edu- 
cated and  more  refined  will  not  wear  tawdry 
jewellery. 

Their  rings  and  bracelets  are  worn  at  all  times ; 
they  never  lay  them  off  for  drudgery  or  dirty 
work,  not  even  when  they  go  about  with  bare  legs 
and  feet. 

The  labret  is  a  piece  of  bone  or  silver  varying 
in  size  according  to  the  rank  of  the  person  wear- 
ing it,  that  is  inserted  into  the  lower  lip  just 
below  the  mouth.  It  is  worn  as  a  sign  of  woman- 
hood. Some  assert  that  its  original  object  was 
to  keep  women  from  talking,  and  that  if  a  woman, 
while  scolding,  dropped  her  labret  from  her  lip, 
she  was  considered  beaten  and  disgraced.  We 
have  asked  not  a  few  natives  if  this  be  true,  and 
all  we  have  consulted  have  repudiated  the  story 
and  insisted  that  it  is  worn  as  a  badge  of 
womanhood. 

Only  women  of  high  caste  are  allowed  to  wear 
it.  Slaves  were  strictly  forbidden  its  use.  As 
the  woman  who  wears  the  labret  grows  older,  its 
size  is  increased,  so  that  a  woman's  age  may  be 
known  from  the  size  and  kind  of  labret  she  wears. 
In  some  old  women  they  are  an  inch  long  and  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  wide.  They  certainly  do  not 
enhance  a  woman's  looks,  but  on  the  contrary 
give  her  a  hideous  appearance. 

"  The  author,''  writes  Ballou,  "  has  seen  all 
sorts  of  rude  decorations  employed  by  savage 
races,  but  never  one  which  seemed  quite  so  ridicu- 
lous or  so  deforming  as  the  plug  (labret)  which 
many  of  these  women  of  Alaska  wear  thrust 
throug;h  their  lower  lips.  The  plug  causes  them  to 
drool  incessantly  through  the  artificial  aperture, 
though  it  is  partially  stopped  by  a  piece  of  bone, 


TATTOOING  AND  FACE  PAINTING       69 

ivory,  or  wood,  formed  like  a  large  cuff-button, 
with  a  flat-spread  portion  inside  to  keep  it  in 
position.  This  practice  is  commenced  in  youth, 
the  plug  being  increased  in  size  as  the  wearer  ad- 
vances in  age,  so  that  when  she  becomes  aged  her 
lower  lip  is  shockingly  deformed." 

It  is  only  just  to  state  that  this  custom,  so  far 
as  the  Thlingets  are  concerned,  is  a  thing  of  the 
past. 

Tattooing  on  some  portions  of  the  body  was 
once  a  very  common  form  of  adornment,  but  is 
seldom,  if  at  all,  resorted  to  in  this  age.  Only 
high-caste  natives  were  permitted  to  have  their 
bodies  tattooed.  Professional  tattooers  were  em- 
ployed to  do  this,  and  were  paid  large  sums  for 
their  work.  A  feast  was  invariably  given  in 
honour  of  the  occasion,  which  exalted  the  one  tat- 
tooed in  the  public  esteem. 

Streaking  the  face  with  paint  was  another  way 
they  had  of  adorning  the  person — a  custom  no 
longer  practised  except  for  dancing.  When  this 
was  done  the  tribal  mark  of  the  individual  had 
to  be  used.  For  instance,  a  member  of  the  Whale- 
killer  (Keet)  tribe  wore  a  mark  down  the  cheek 
and  one  at  right  angles  to  this  across  the  chin. 
This  marking  represented  the  jaw  of  the  Keet 
(grampus),  and  showed  to  the  public  that  the  one 
thus  marked  was  of  the  Keet  tribe.  A  member 
of  the  Crow  (Yalkth)  tribe  had  a  line  drawn  on 
each  side  of  the  nose  beginning  at  the  inner  corner 
of  the  eye  and  angling  down  the  cheek.  This 
represented  the  beak  of  the  crow. 

Even  now  many  of  the  women  paint  their  faces 
solidly  with  a  kind  of  lampblack  made  of  soot  and 
grease.  This  is  done,  however,  not  for  ornamenta- 
tion, as  it  makes  them  hideous-looking  in  the  ex- 


W  PERSONAL  APPEARANCE 

treme,  but  for  the  double  purpose  of  protecting 
their  faces  from  mosquitoes  and  sunburn. 

In  former  years  their  dress  was  gorgeously 
adorned  with  beads,  buttons  and  abalone.  At  one 
time  the  abalone  shell  was  to  the  natives  what 
diamonds  are  to  the  white  people.  Many  carvings 
were  inlaid  with  it.  To  this  day  it  is  highly 
prized,  and  used  for  ornamentation.  In  the  days 
of  slavery  slaves  were  traded  for  it. 

Dancing  blankets  and  cloaks  are  elaborately  or- 
namented with  buttons  and  beads,  making  some 
of  them  very  expensive.  Beads  are  commonly 
used  to  ornament  moccasins,  pouches  and  wall 
pockets  that  are  made  from  deer  and  moose  hide. 
The  beautiful  green  found  on  the  head  of  the 
mallard  drake  is  very  commonly  used  for  adorn- 
ing articles.  The  head  is  skinned  and  the  entire 
patch  of  green  kept  intact. 

Our  white  sisters  cannot  criticise  them  for  this 
since  they  are  so  fond  of  adorning  their  own  bon- 
nets with  the  plumage  of  birds.  Native  women 
do  not  use  the  mallard  plumage  for  adorning  hats 
or  bonnets,  but  for  the  decoration  of  pouches  and 
wall-pockets. 

Most  of  the  natives  are  slow  of  movement  and 
lacking  in  grace,  but  some  have  fine  form  and 
carriage.  Some  of  the  young  women  are  exceed- 
ingly attractive. 

With  them,  as  with  white  people,  we  find  the 
attractive  and  the  repulsive,  the  neat  and  the  tidy, 
the  respectable  and  the  vulgar,  the  clean  and  the 
filthy. 

The  Thlinget's  standard  of  beauty  is  very  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  the  white  man.  Men  whom 
we  would  consider  extremely  ugly  are  very  much 
admired  by  Thlinget  women.  The  large  mouth, 


STANDARD  OF  BEAUTY  71 

thick  lips  and  coarse  features  appeal  to  the  aver- 
age native.  It  would  seem  that  the  more  hideous 
the  face  the  more  it  is  admired  by  the  average 
Thlinget.  The  natural,  soft,  subdued  olive  com- 
plexion of  the  average  Thlinget  young  woman  is 
very  pleasing. 

The  half-breeds  are  invariably  bright  and  good- 
looking.  Some  of  them  are  really  handsome. 
They  dress  in  good  taste  and  present  a  good  ap- 
pearance. They  are  inclined  to  affiliate  more  with 
the  white  people  than  with  the  natives.  It  seems, 
indeed,  to  be  their  natural  place  and  it  is  so  ac- 
cepted. They  seek  education  and  many  of  them 
after  schooling  drop  into  good  positions  among 
the  white  people.  Some  of  them  have  shown  high 
ability  and  are  now  in  positions  of  responsibility. 
Possessing,  as  a  rule,  a  captivating  personality, 
they  seemingly  have  but  little  trouble  to  find  a 
place  in  the  world. 


VIII 
INDUSTRIES 

THE  Thlingets,  as  already  said,  are  self-sup- 
porting, not  wards  of  the  government.  In 
fact  they  have  been  woefully  neglected  by 
the  government.  They  ask  only  the  opportunity 
to  earn  a  livelihood  and  that  their  natural  re- 
sources be  not  destroyed. 

"  Unlike  the  American  Indians/'  writes  the 
Hon.  A.  P.  Swineford,  at  one  time  Governor  of 
Alaska,  "  these  people  are  industrious  and  self- 
supporting."  Professor  Dall  bears  testimony  to 
the  same  truth. 

Unfortunately  for  them,  their  industries  are 
very  limited  and  their  seasons  very  short.  Their 
main  dependence  is  on  fishing  and  employment  in 
the  canneries.  They  catch  salmon  and  halibut  for 
the  local  markets,  shippers,  salteries  and  can- 
neries. 

The  halibut  are  caught  with  line  and  hook,  her- 
ring being  used  for  bait.  The  old  style  of  hook 
was  a  V-shaped  piece  of  wood  with  an  iron  tooth 
about  two  inches  long  projecting  from  the  upper 
side  almost  across  the  angle  of  the  hook,  and 
pointing  downward.  The  unwary  halibut  runs  his 
nose  into  the  V  for  the  bait  and  becomes  hooked. 
While  some  natives  prefer  this,  most  of  them  use 
the  modern,  up-to-date  hook.  The  old  style  are 
sold  as  curiosities. 

Formerly  the  halibut  line,  as  was  all  rope,  was 

72 


TREADWELL    GOLD    MINE 


METHODS  OF  FISHING  73 

made  of  the  fibre  of  the  spruce  tree  and  entirely 
by  hand.  The  women  made  it  and  became  expert 
in  manufacturing  cordage  of  all  sizes.  It  was  a 
tedious  job,  and  particularly  wearisome  to  the 
children  who  were  compelled  to  hold  one  end  of 
the  line  while  the  mother  wove  the  material  into 
rope.  The  lines  were  made  many  fathoms  long, 
as  uniform  as  if  made  by  machine,  and  exception- 
ally strong.  We  have  in  our  possession  a  very 
long,  native-made  halibut  line  with  hook  (old 
style)  attached.  It  is  a  fine  piece  of  work,  and 
apparently  as  strong  now  as  when  it  was  made 
fifty  years  ago.  It  is  doubled  strand  and  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

The  natives  do  not  build  fish-traps.  A  few  of 
them  use  gill-nets.  By  their  methods  of  fishing 
they  could  never  destroy,  nor  even  diminish  to 
any  appreciable  extent,  the  fish  supply.  It  is  the 
white  man  with  his  seines  and  fish-traps  that  is 
a  menace  to  this  natural  resource  of  the  country. 

Not  only  the  native  men,  but  women  and  chil- 
dren, work  in  the  canneries.  It  is  deplorable  that 
the  women  and  girls  feel  the  necessity  of  seeking 
employment  in  these  places,  for,  as  a  rule,  they 
work  with  Chinamen  who  are  the  very  scum  of 
their  nation,  and  the  native  women  and  girls  are 
far  from  being  elevated  by  their  contact  with 
them.  Then,  too,  it  is  dirty  employment  and  de- 
grading. We  would  protest  if  white  women  and 
girls  worked  in  them.  The  native  women  and 
girls  do  so  because  there  is  practically  no  other 
way  for  them  to  get  the  few  dollars  they  make 
in  a  season.  We  regret  that  there  is  nothing  more 
elevating  in  the  way  of  employment  for  them. 

One  of  the  leading  industries  of  the  country  is 
mining.  This  is  a  new  industry  to  the  native, 


74  INDUSTRIES 

having  been  introduced  by  the  white  man.  Yet 
to-day  scores  of  natives  are  employed  in  the 
mines,  chiefly  at  Treadwell  and  Juneau.  Some 
of  them  are  expert  machine-men,  capable  of  han- 
dling steam  drills  with  skill,  but  most  of  them  are 
mere  labourers.  They  have  given  good  satisfac- 
tion as  miners,  but  many  of  them  are  averse  to 
working  in  the  mines  on  account  of  the  danger 
and  the  hard  work  involved.  Fishing  and  hunt- 
ing, their  natural  industries,  appeal  to  them  more 
strongly,  but  hunting  and  trapping,  which  once 
occupied  the  foremost  place  in  the  industries  of 
the  Thlingets,  have  now  fallen  to  third  or  fourth 
place.  Some  never  engage  in  them  at  all. 

The  natives  living  adjacent  to  the  ocean  find 
lucrative  employment  in  hunting  the  fur-seal  and 
the  sea-otter.  This  is  especially  true  of  the  Hy- 
dahs,  who  live  near  Dixon  Entrance,  of  the  Sit- 
kans,  who  live  on  Norfolk  Sound,  and  of  the 
Hoonahs,  who  live  on  Icy  Strait.  These  all  have 
access  to  the  ocean  where  the  seal  and  sea-otter 
are  found.  When  a  sea-otter  is  seen  he  is  quickly 
surrounded  with  canoes  and  speared  or  shot  by 
native  experts.  A  single  otter  skin  brings  from 
four  to  eight  hundred  dollars. 

All  kinds  of  land  animals  are  sought  by  native 
hunters,  but  chiefly  the  deer,  bear  and  fox.  The 
first  are  killed  mainly  for  food.  Their  pelts  are 
not  now  marketable,  and  when  they  were  they 
brought  only  fifty  or  seventy-five  cents  apiece. 
The  skin  is  largely  made  into  moccasins  and 
pouches,  adorned  with  beads,  by  the  native 
women.  Aside  from  this,  little  use  is  made  of  it. 

Bears  and  foxes  are  killed  mainly  for  their  furs. 
Bear  skins  bring  from  five  to  forty  dollars  apiece, 
according  to  their  quality.  The  fur  of  the  red  fox 


CARVING  IN  WOOD  AND  METALS        75 

has  little  value,  but  that  of  the  blue,  black  or 
silver  is  very  valuable,  the  silver  bringing  as  high 
as  fourteen  and  fifteen  hundred  dollars  apiece. 
Of  course  these  beauties  are  not  caught  every  day. 

Mountain  sheep,  which  a  few  years  ago  were 
plentiful,  but  are  now  scarce,  are  occasionally 
hunted.  The  meat  of  the  animal  is  highly  prized, 
and  its  fur  makes  a  very  desirable  rug.  They 
have  very  little  market  value.  The  marten, 
beaver,  mink  and  land-otter,  as  well  as  other  fur- 
bearing  animals,  are  bagged  when  they  cross  the 
native's  path.  The  dressing  of  animals  and  the 
curing  of  furs  are  done  almost  exclusively  by 
the  women. 

During  the  great  Klondike  boom  in  the  year 
1898,  many  took  supplies  and  outfits  for  pros- 
pectors and  fortune  hunters  from  the  beach  up 
over  the  famous  Chilkoot  and  White  Passes  into 
the  Yukon  country.  Some  of  them  showed  won- 
derful packing  ability  and  made  big  money  at  this 
laborious  work. 

Carving  in  wood,  silver,  horn  and  stone  (black 
slate)  gives  employment  to  some.  These  carvings 
are  turned  out  every  season  for  the  tourist  trade. 
There  is  a  good  demand  for  them,  and  not  a  few 
dollars  are  picked  up  in  this  way.  From  the 
yellow  cedar  they  carve  miniature  totem  poles, 
canoes,  paddles  and  trinket  boxes;  from  silver 
coin  they  make  bracelets,  rings,  spoons,  napkin- 
rings,  paper-cutters,  butter-knives  and  stick-pins, 
all  carrying  totemic  designs;  from  the  horn  of 
the  mountain  sheep,  large  spoons  with  fancy  to- 
temic handles;  from  the  slate,  totems,  pipes  and 
vessels  of  different  designs.  A  great  deal  of 
skill,  ingenuity  and  art  is  evidenced  in  these 
carvings. 


76  INDUSTRIES 

A  few  Thlingets  are  carpenters  and  some  are 
cobblers.  A  few  are  engaged  in  business  on  a 
small  scale.  While  naturally  shrewd  traders,  very 
few  of  them  have  any  talent  or  inclination  for 
business.  They  are  rarely  found  in  any  of  the  pro- 
fessions. A  few  of  the  young  women  are  teachers, 
having  been  educated  in  mission  and  government 
schools. 

The  women,  on  the  whole,  are  more  industrious 
than  the  men.  In  addition  to  their  domestic 
cares,  they  manufacture  (by  hand,  of  course)  mit- 
tens, moccasins,  baskets  and  all  kinds  of  beadwork 
for  sale.  In  the  summer  time  they  are  very  busy 
putting  up  food  for  winter,  and  in  the  winter 
with  their  sewing  and  weaving. 

The  mittens  they  make  are  for  workmen  and  re- 
tail for  twenty-five  cents  a  pair.  The  back  is  made 
of  blue  or  brown  denim  and  the  palm  of  light 
duck.  They  are  sold  at  the  local  stores,  as  are 
the  moccasins  made  from  the  dressed  skin  of 
the  deer  or  mountain  sheep,  the  fur  of  the  hair- 
seal,  and  moose  hide,  the  latter  being  the  most 
durable.  As  the  moose  and  mountain  sheep  are 
much  harder  to  get  than  the  deer,  the  deerskin 
moccasins  are  most  common.  They  are  both 
plain  and  fancy,  ranging  in  price  from  fifty 
cents  a  pair  to  five  dollars.  The  fancy  ones 
are  ornamented  with  beads,  and  are  fleece  or  fur 
lined. 

Blankets  are  made  of  the  wool  of  the  mountain 
sheep  and  of  squirrel  skins,  the  former  being 
known  as  Chilkat  blankets  because  they  originated 
with  the  Chilkat  natives,  and  are  made  chiefly  by 
them.  It  requires  great  skill,  patience,  and 
months  of  time  to  make  a  single  Chilkat  blanket. 
It  is  a  long  and  tedious  process  to  card  the  wool 


CHILKAT  BLANKETS  77 

and  make  the  yarn  and  dye  it.  Then  follow 
months  of  toil  in  the  weaving. 

The  pattern  is  always  totemic;  on  the  best 
blankets  it  bears  the  head  of  the  trout  (squatz). 
It  is  painted  on  a  board  from  three  to  four  feet 
long  and  two  and  a  half  feet  wide.  The  weaving 
is  done  in  a  frame  about  five  feet  long  and  three 
feet  wide,  but  the  blankets  are  of  different  sizes. 
The  weaver  sits  in  front  of  the  frame  with  her 
pattern  at  one  side  where  she  can  readily  see  it 
as  she  weaves.  Her  yarns  vary  in  size  from  a 
thread  to  a  coarse  cord,  some  being  the  natural 
colour  while  others  are  black  and  yellow.  These 
are  the  only  colours,  so  far  as  we  remember  (and 
we  have  seen  many  of  them),  that  ever  go  into  a 
Chilkat  blanket. 

The  white  represents  the  mountain  sheep;  the 
black,  the  crow,  the  patron  bird  of  the  great  Crow 
fraternity;  and  the  yellow  the  eagle  (whose  claws 
and  beak  are  yellow) ,  the  patron  bird  of  the  great 
Eagle  fraternity.  The  Thlinget  term  for  yellow 
is  tschak(oY  cheth)-gin-diya — eagle-claw  colour. 

These  blankets  are  worth  from  seventy-five  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  each,  according  to 
the  size  and  workmanship.  They  will  wear  in- 
definitely, so  compactly  are  they  woven.  The 
colours  used  are  practically  indestructible,  as  none 
but  native  dyes  are  used  in  them.  They  are  more 
ornamental  than  practical,  as  they  are  not  used 
for  covering  the  body  as  bedding,  but  originally 
were  made  as  part  of  a  chief's  dancing  costume, 
and  to  throw  over  him  as  he  lay  in  state  aftei4 
death.  This  was  to  indicate  his  rank  and  high 
station  in  life.  Only  rich  and  high-caste  natives 
possessed  them. 

They  now  have  an  artistic  value  as  well  as  or- 


78  INDUSTRIES 

namental,  showing  what  natural  artists  some  of 
these  natives  are.  The  patterns  are  faultlessly 
woven  into  the  blanket,  entirely  by  eye,  a  feat  re- 
quiring nice  skill.  We  have  watched  the  weaver 
by  the  hour  as  she  deftly  wove  her  yarns  into 
this  artistic  fabric,  and  wondered  how  she  could 
follow  the  design  so  accurately  just  by  glancing 
at  the  pattern  on  the  board.  Wealthy  tourists  pur- 
chase these  Chilkat  blankets  as  fine  specimens  of 
native  art  and  workmanship,  using  them  to  orna- 
ment their  curio  corners. 

Squirrel  robes  were  once  plentiful,  but  now  it 
does  not  pay  to  make  them.  From  seventy  to  a 
hundred  skins  of  the  chattering  little  fellows  are 
sewed  together  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  the 
robe  look  like  one  large  fur.  At  one  time  these 
robes  could  be  bought  for  two  dollars  apiece,  the 
amount  hardly  covering  the  cost  of  the  ammuni- 
tion used  in  killing  the  squirrels.  As  they  are 
rarely  seen  now,  they  have  advanced  largely  in 
price. 

Various  kinds  of  beadwork  are  made  for  the 
market,  and  these  help  to  swell  the  financial  re- 
ceipts of  the  women.  Moccasins,  pouches  and 
various  articles  used  in  the  dance  are  ornamented 
with  beads.  In  early  times  all  designs  were  to- 
temic,  but  now  they  are  taken  from  fashion-plates, 
catalogues,  wall-paper  and  other  places.  While 
some  of  this  work  is  really  artistic,  most  of  it  is 
poor  and  commands  little  money.  The  tourists 
buy  little  of  it,  as  their  great  hobby  is  baskets. 

Some  years  ago  the  women  were  skilled  in 
making  suck-a-chew  (pottery).  Scarcely  a  trace 
of  this  art  can  now  be  found.  Like  rope-making, 
it  has  fallen  into  desuetude. 

Yak( canoe) -building,  which  at  one  time  was  a 


CANOE-BUILDING  79 

thriving  industry,  is  now  practically  a  back  num- 
ber. There  were  regular  builders  who  constructed 
them  and  put  them  on  the  market  to  meet  the 
demand,  which  was  heavy. 

Canoes  are  frail  and  not  durable.  Their  great- 
est enemy  is  the  sun,  and  the  natives  must  either 
cover  them  over  or  keep  them  wet  when  exposed 
to  it.  If  travelling  when  the  sun  shines,  they 
frequently  fill  their  bailing-shell  with  water  and 
throw  it  all  over  the  canoe.  When  ashore,  they 
keep  the  canoes  covered  with  blankets,  boards, 
brush  or  grass  to  protect  them.  If  they  lived  in 
a  land  of  much  sunshine  it  would  be  almost  im- 
possible to  keep  their  canoes  a  month.  As  it  is, 
though  they  live  in  a  land  of  clouds  and  rain, 
they  have  a  hard  time  to  protect  them. 

Canoe-building  demanded  much  skill  from  the 
workman,  and  his  product  commanded  big  money. 
Some  canoes  brought  four  or  five  hundred  dollars 
apiece.  No  matter  how  large,  every  one  was  built 
out  of  a  solid  log — generally  of  yellow  cedar.  The 
adz  was  the  principal  tool  used.  Indeed,  few  and 
rude  were  the  tools  employed  in  early  times,  and 
yet  fine  workmanship  was  done. 

The  log  is  first  dug  out  until  it  roughly  resem- 
bles a  canoe.  It  is  then  filled  with  water  and  this 
is  heated  with  hot  stones.  The  wood  thus  steamed 
becomes  pliable,  and  braces  are  put  in  to  hold  it 
to  the  desired  shape.  This  accomplished,  the 
workman  finishes  the  job  by  chipping  and  chip- 
ping and  sandpapering  (literally  dog-fish-paper- 
ing, as  dogfish  skin  was  used  before  real  sand- 
paper was  introduced  to  the  natives),  until  the 
craft  with  its  beautiful  lines  is  ready  for  the  sea. 

The  braces  are  left  in  and  are  used  in  lieu  of 
seats,  but  in  the  days  of  the  paddle,  the  usual  seat 


80  INDUSTRIES 

was  the  bottom  of  the  craft.  This  accounts  for 
many  of  the  natives  having  misshapen  legs.  Until 
long  after  the  white  man  came,  canoes  were  pro- 
pelled entirely  with  paddles.  Gradually  oars  were 
introduced,  and  now  they  are  propelled  by  the 
combination  of  oars  and  paddle,  except  when  the 
sail  is  brought  into  service.  Every  native  uses 
his  sail  whenever  he  can,  as  rowing  or  paddling 
is  no  pastime  with  him. 

The  women  are  as  expert  in  handling  the  canoe 
as  the  men.  They  invariably  act  as  captain,  sit- 
ting in  the  stern  of  the  craft.  Though  the  little 
ship  may  have  a  rudder,  yet  the  captain  always 
has  a  paddle  in  her  hand  to  use  when  required. 
Often  the  women  travel  by  themselves,  especially 
in  the  berry  season.  Men  disdain  picking  berries, 
considering  that  the  work  of  women.  But  the 
women  are  the  most  independent  of  people  and 
so  go  off  alone  for  berries  and  also  for  cockles, 
clams,  mussels  and  other  sea  food. 

It  is  a  marvel  how  big,  heavy,  clumsy  women 
manage  getting  in  and  out  of  the  small  canoes 
without  capsizing  them.  But  they  do. 

We  are  acquainted  with  a  woman  who  one  night, 
all  alone,  sailed  a  canoe  a  distance  of  seventy 
miles  with  two  dead  people  in  it.  They  had  been 
poisoned  by  eating  mussels,  and  she  took  the  long, 
lonely  journey  in  order  to  reach  their  people. 

The  women  being  experts  with  the  paddle  and 
handy  with  the  oars,  they  are  genuine  helpmeets 
to  their  husbands  when  travelling. 

Canoes  are  of  all  sizes.  Some  will  not  carry 
more  than  two  persons,  while  others  will  carry 
forty  or  fifty.  When  nicely  ballasted,  these  will 
weather  rough  seas  and  heavy  winds. 

The  prows  of  some  are  proudly  decorated  with 


WAR-CANOES  81 

totemic  designs,  war-canoes  being  generally  thus 
treated.  A  chief  named  Samhat,  living  at  Kassan, 
gave  to  the  District  of  Alaska  a  large  war-canoe 
of  this  type.  It  is  forty-seven  feet  long,  more 
than  six  feet  across  the  beam,  and  three  and  one- 
half  feet  deep.  It  is  now  kept  with  other  relics 
at  Sitka. 

During  the  days  of  native  warfare,  these  proud 
monarchs  of  the  deep  were  looked  upon  as  pos- 
sessing intelligence  and  sharing  the  honour  of 
victories  and  the  shame  of  defeat.  Sometimes 
they  were  smashed  by  the  defeated  tribe,  as  if  in 
some  way  to  blame. 

For  beauty  of  line,  the  high-class  native  canoes 
are  hard  to  beat.  The  model  was  suggested  to 
the  natives  by  the  breast  bone  of  the  mallard 
duck.  The  wishbone  of  the  duck  suggested  the 
snowshoe,  which  at  one  time  was  largely  made  and 
used  by  these  people. 

For  years,  on  national  holidays  when  sports 
were  indulged  in,  the  canoe-race  was  the  most 
attractive  feature  of  the  day.  Each  canoe  had 
a  crew  of  twelve  or  fourteen  men,  and  from  three 
to  five  canoes  generally  entered  the  race.  The 
distance  covered  was  from  three  to  four  miles. 
Every  native  in  the  race  was  in  shirt  sleeves  with 
bare  head.  As  soon  as  the  signal  to  start  was 
given,  the  paddles  of  each  boat  dipped  simultane- 
ously into  the  water  and  this  uniformity  of  stroke 
was  maintained  throughout  the  entire  course.  At 
every  stroke  the  canoe  was  almost  literally  lifted 
out  of  the  water.  As  they  crossed  the  line  at  the 
finish,  every  paddle  was  lifted  upright  and  a  loud 
huzza  went  up  from  the  throats  of  the  contestants. 
This  was  especially  true  of  the  victorious  crew, 
who  would  proudly  pocket  their  prize  of  a  hundred 


82  INDUSTRIES 

to  a  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  These  races  will 
stand  out  in  the  memory  of  all  who  ever  saw  them, 
as  they  were  sports  of  unusual  attraction. 

As  totem  poles  are  practically  no  longer  erected, 
this  industry  is  at  an  end. 

The  Thlingets  never  had,  and  probably  never 
will  have,  any  extensive  commercial  activities. 
The  trading  they  did  among  themselves  was  in- 
considerable. The  common  method  of  obtaining 
property  was  by  force  (war),  condemnation  pro- 
ceedings on  the  grounds  of  injury,  or  insults,  and 
entail  through  death.  The  little  trading  that  was 
carried  on  between  the  Thlingets  and  the  Sticks, 
or  Interior,  Indians  was  controlled  by  the  haughty 
Chilkats.  Even  this  traffic  ceased  years  ago,  the 
Klondike  gold  discovery  being  responsible  for  it. 

The  Interior  Indians  were  rich  in  furs  which 
were  coveted  by  the  Thlingets.  The  latter  would 
carry  prints,  blankets  and  other  articles  not  too 
difficult  to  pack,  over  the  coast  mountain  range 
and  into  the  country  of  the  Sticks  and  barter  them 
for  furs.  These  they  would  get  on  their  own 
terms,  as  the  Sticks  were  a  spiritless  class  and 
easily  intimidated  by  the  Thlingets.  This  traffic 
never  amounted  to  much. 

A  Takou  chief,  whose  home  was  at  Juneau,  and 
who  was  drowned  some  years  ago,  once  did  a 
thriving  business  with  a  trading  schooner.  He 
would  send  to  Portland,  Oregon,  for  two  or  three 
thousand  dollars  worth  of  goods  at  a  time.  He 
would  take  his  stock  to  various  villages  and  dis- 
pose of  it  at  a  handsome  profit.  He  was  shrewd, 
calculating  and  unscrupulous  enough  to  take  every 
advantage  possible.  He  accumulated  several 
thousand  dollars  before  his  death,  but  no  other 
native  has  conducted  a  similar  enterprise. 


THE  HYDABURG  ENTERPRISE  83 

There  are  no  capitalists  among  these  natives. 
Seemingly  they  do  not  know  how  to  handle  large 
sums  of  money.  If  they  get  any  amount  of  it  they 
hoard  it  rather  than  invest  it.  The  promise  of 
interest  and  income  from  investments  has  little 
or  no  weight  with  them.  Only  immediate  results 
appeal  to  the  average  native  mind.  They  are  ex- 
tremely suspicious  of  one  another,  and  for  this 
reason  will  not  combine  and  form  companies  for 
their  mutual  advantage. 

Until  quite  recently  nothing  along  this  line  has 
been  attempted.  Some  months  ago  the  United 
States  Government  encouraged  the  natives  of 
Hydaburg  (a  settlement  of  Hydah-speaking  abo- 
rigines) to  form  a  stock  company  to  operate  a 
store  in  that  village.  Some  of  the  Thlingets,  hear- 
ing of  this  enterprise,  have  recently  imitated  their 
Hydah  brethren  by  combining  to  operate  stores, 
one  such  company  having  been  formed  at  Kla- 
wock  and  one  at  Klukwan.  As  these  are  in  their 
experimental  stage,  it  remains  to  be  seen  what 
success  they  meet.  Since  they  will  have  little,  if 
any,  patronage  aside  from  the  members  them- 
selves, it  is  clear  that  they  will  not  get  very  much 
out  of  them  but  what  they  themselves  put  in,  and 
will  never  amass  any  great  amount  of  wealth  from 
such  combinations.  It  may,  however,  be  good 
training  for  them,  and  while  they  will  not  make 
much,  they  will  not  lose  much. 

But  the  white  man  is  everywhere  operating.  He 
has  in  every  way  the  advantage  of  his  Thlinget 
brother;  to  meet  him  in  business  competition  will 
be  no  easy  task.  In  fact  the  chance  for  a  native 
to  accumulate  much  wealth  in  enterprises  confined 
to  his  own  people  is  very  small.  He  has  a  better 
chance  if  he  puts  his  money  into  enterprises  car- 


84  INDUSTRIES 

ried  on  by  white  men.  But  until  his  confidence  in 
the  white  man  is  stronger  than  it  is  at  present 
he  will  not  do  this. 

We  have  substantial  banks  in  Alaska  where  na- 
tives might  deposit  some  of  their  earnings  and  ac- 
cumulate a  little  capital  with  which  to  engage  in 
money-making  enterprises,  but  they  will  not  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunity.  This  is  due  largely 
to  a  want  of  confidence.  They  can  never  hope  to 
attain  to  opulence  and  plenty  until,  like  the  white 
man,  they  make  money  as  well  as  their  hands  work 
for  them.  Up  to  the  present  they  have  depended 
entirely  on  their  hands  for  means,  hence  as  to 
wealth  they  are  not  very  rich  per  capita.  There 
are  money-making  enterprises  in  their  midst. 
Their  investments  in  these  would  be  welcomed. 
And  while  they  would  stand  a  chance  of  losing, 
they  would  also  stand  a  chance  of  gaining.  But, 
lacking  confidence,  they  venture  nothing. 


IX 
BASKETEY 

OF  all  the  industries  common  to  women  the 
making  of  baskets  is  by  far  the  most  ex- 
tensive. One  can  scarcely  enter  a  house 
without  seeing  women  engaged  in  weaving  them. 
Prices  have  advanced  within  the  last  decade  sev- 
eral hundred  per  cent.  Baskets  that  could  have 
been  bought  ten  years  ago  for  five  dollars  would 
now  bring  twenty  dollars.  This  has  given  an  im- 
petus to  those  who  make  them,  but  this,  like  other 
native  arts,  is  on  the  wane. 

If  they  were  paid  in  proportion  to  the  time  it 
takes  to  make  the  baskets,  prices  would  have  to 
advance  still  higher.  It  takes  time  and  labour  to 
procure  the  raw  material,  which  consists  of  the 
tender  roots  of  the  young  spruce  tree  and  certain 
grasses;  to  soften  the  former  by  soaking  and 
steaming  to  make  them  pliable  and  workable;  to 
prepare  the  dyes  and  dye  the  straws  the  different 
colours;  to  split  and  trim  the  roots  and  grasses 
into  fine  and  coarse  strands,  and  then  to  weave 
them  into  the  finished  article. 

This  being  so,  we  can  little  wonder  that  the 
rising  generation  of  girls,  who  are  learning  the 
white  man's  value  of  time  and  who  have  other 
opportunities  of  earning  money,  take  little  or  no 
interest  in  basket-weaving.  It  is  an  industry 
mostly  engaged  in  by  elderly  Thlinget  women,  and 

85 


86  BASKETRY 

when  these  have  passed  away  basket-making  will 
be  practically  at  an  end. 

The  summer  tourist  trade  in  baskets  is  very 
large,  and  wealthy  tourists  are  responsible  for  the 
prevailing  high  prices. 

There  are  baskets,  and  baskets — that  is,  there 
are  some  coarse  and  worthless  and  some  fine  and 
valuable.  Every  community  has  its  fine  and 
coarse  weavers,  its  amateurs  and  its  real  artists 
in  weaving. 

Lieutenant  G.  T.  Emmons  has  published  an  in- 
teresting work  on  native  basketry  which  every 
connoisseur  should  read.  We  think  that  he  claims 
too  much,  in  asserting  that  every  design  on  a 
basket  has  special  significance.  It  is  true  that 
many  have.  It  is  no  less  true  that  some  have  been 
copied  from  patterns  seen  on  blankets,  on  wall- 
paper and  on  other  objects.  In  earlier  days  all 
designs  were  native  and  totemic,  but  this  is  not 
true  of  all  seen  to-day. 

Baskets  are  named  and  known  to  all  natives 
according  to  the  chief  design  they  bear,  their 
weave,  the  material  they  are  made  of,  their 
shape,  the  size,  or  the  use  to  which  they  are 
put. 

The  basket  with  this  design,  ^j,  is  called 
kon-nast',  meaning  the  cross;  with  this,  '1TW 
kluk-shd-yd-kee'ge,  meaning  half  berry ;  with  this, 
^^  thld-kd-dd-di'she,  which  is  the  name  of  the 
bat,  who  is  diamond-shape  when  his  wings  are 
stretched  out;  with  this,  3^-  a-hdrie,  meaning 
arrow-head;  with  this,  ELSeL  klee( blanket )-wdn- 
kus-d-ayd,  meaning  blanket  pattern;  with  this, 
HLTTJ""  tsow(hat)-sdk-toot'ze,  meaning  dancing 
hat  pattern;  with  either  of  these  designs,  fELTa 
,  it  is  called  shd-di-yd-age,  meaning  dancing 


WEAVE  AND  SHAPE  87 

basket,  as  either  design  is  worn  on  dancing  hats 
made  of  the  basket  material. 

When  named  according  to  the  weave,  chdk-che- 
won-kd-seede  (tendon  in  the  eagle's  claw)  is  the 
name  of  the  basket  with  a  cord-like  raise  running 
around  it.  It  is  so  called  because  in  early  times 
this  cord  was  taken  from  the  claw  of  the  eagle. 
Wdk-us-kotf  is  the  name  of  the  open  or  lattice- 
work basket;  woosh-td-kd'ge  of  the  closely  woven, 
water-tight  basket;  kok-sd-hd'dy  of  the  basket 
made  with  plain  stitches  close  together;  woosh- 
ta-hagy  of  the  one  with  plain  stitches  underneath 
the  figure;  kot-dt-thleky  of  the  one  with  the  rim 
finished  in  a  certain  way,  and  kok-e-sut'  of  the  one 
with  the  bottom  finished  in  a  certain  style. 

The  names,  according  to  shape,  are:  too-dd- 
hook',  the  covered  basket;  so  called  because  of  the 
stones  taken  from  the  craw  of  the  grouse  and  put 
in  the  top  of  the  lid.  When  the  lid  is  shaken  the 
stones  rattle.  Stones  gathered  anywhere  else 
cannot  be  used  for  this  purpose.  Tolth  is  the 
name  of  a  large  shallow  basket  used  for  catching 
berries  when  they  are  shaken  from  the  bush, 
which  is  the  usual  mode  of  gathering  huckle- 
berries. Woostd-da-kut-tzoo'  is  the  name  of  the 
basket  that  is  made  entirely  of  straw.  The  word 
means  "  all  straw." 

The  Thlingets  originally  had  no  weights  and 
measures.  Everything  sold,  or  exchanged,  was 
by  the  chunk,  or  piece,  or  basket.  Hence  to  dis- 
tinguish the  sizes  of  baskets  the  largest  was  called 
chew-kdt',  the  next  size  yancih,  and  the  size  used 
for  stringing  around  the  neck  and  picking  berries 
in  and  which  when  filled  was  dumped  into  a  large 
one,  was  called  sa-kd-toriny. 

Woosh-to-qua'ge    is    the    name    given    to    the 


88  BASKETRY 

merely  plain  basket  without  any  design,  and  ~ka- 
ge-sut'  (three  roots)  is  another  name  given  to  a 
slightly  different  basket. 

From  the  above,  the  reader  is  not  to  infer  that 
only  three  sizes  of  baskets  are  made.  Far  from 
it.  The  sizes  are  legion — from  the  capacity  of 
a  thimble  to  a  bushel  or  more.  The  sizes 
mentioned  were  more  as  gauges  of  measure- 
ment. 

Then  baskets  are  named  according  to  what  they 
are  used  for.  Kot  means  strainer  and  is  the  name 
of  the  openwork  basket  used  for  straining  oils. 
NauMh  is  the  name  of  a  basket  made  from  the 
bark  of  a  tree  and  used  as  a  gunny  sack  for  hold- 
ing potatoes. 

Baskets  are  now  made  of  all  sizes,  shapes  and 
styles.  Some  represent  tea-kettles  or  stew-pots; 
some  are  oblong  or  round,  and  flaring  from  the 
bottom  up;  some  are  deep  and  some  are  shallow. 
Bottles  and  canes  are  beautifully  covered  with 
basket  material,  and  small  mats  and  hats,  used 
principally  in  dancing,  are  made  of  it.  Some  of 
these  are  very  expensive,  costing  as  high  as  forty 
dollars  apiece. 

Baskets  used  for  cooking  prior  to  the  advent 
of  the  iron  pot,  were  plain,  without  any  design, 
and  strongly  made. 

There  is  a  mammoth  basket  kept  at  Kluckwan 
that  is  called  the  Mother-of-baskets.  The  natives 
have  a  tradition  that  this  is  the  progenitor  of  all 
baskets.  Several  women  worked  on  it  at  the  same 
time.  No  one  is  allowed  to  make  so  large  a  one 
now. 

The  baskets  bearing  the  native  dyes  are  far 
more  valuable,  other  work  being  equal,  than  those 
that  have  the  common  diamond  dyes,  as  the  na- 


COLOURINGS  89 

live  dyes  are  much  more  durable.  They  remain 
bright  indefinitely. 

The  brilliant  yellow  seen  in  baskets  and  in  the 
famous  Chilkat  blankets  is  obtained  from  a  moss 
that  grows  on  certain  trees.  Green  is  obtained 
from  copper  rocks  and  from  a  common  weed.  Its 
leaves  are  boiled  and  the  liquid  makes  a  bright 
green  dye.  They  get  the  red  from  certain  red 
berries,  and  purple  from  blueberries. 

The  most  durable  and  brilliant  black  is  that  of 
natural  black  straws  found  in  the  bottom  of  cer- 
tain lakes.  There  is  a  black  made  from  soot  and 
other  ingredients,  but  it  is  inferior  to  the  natural 
black  straw.  Brown  is  obtained  from  strong 
urine. 

Baskets  coloured  with  any  of  these  native  dyes 
are  not  so  common  as  are  those  with  the  ordinary 
dyes,  and  many  buy  baskets  without  a  question 
as  to  whether  the  dyes  are  native  or  not. 

One  of  the  most  particular  pieces  of  work  in 
connection  with  fine  basket-weaving  is  splitting 
the  fibre  and  straws.  This  requires  much  prac- 
tice and  skill  in  order  to  make  them  uniform.  And 
if  the  straws  are  not  uniform  in  size  the  work  is 
uneven  and  botchy.  Certain  old  women  are  very 
dexterous  in  making  fine  fibres  and  straws.  They 
have  a  clam-shaped  piece  of  steel,  the  edge  of 
which  is  very  sharp.  With  this  they  split  the 
fibre,  take  the  end  of  one  in  the  mouth  while  they 
cleverly  work  the  other  off  with  their  fingers. 
The  trick  is  to  make  the  strands  as  nearly  uniform 
as  possible  without  wasting  the  material.  If  it 
breaks  off  too  short,  or  runs  thick  and  then  thin, 
it  is  rejected. 

Basket-weavers  sit  with  the  legs  outright  on 
the  floor  with  the  basket  in  the  lap,  and  in  a 


90  BASKETRY 

stooping  posture  with  one  knee  down  and  the 
other  up.  Some  women  are  very  round-shoul- 
dered because  of  this  habit.  All  designs  are 
woven  in  the  basket  without  any  pattern  before 
them.  It  is  all  taken  from  the  mind  and  is  a 
marvel  of  accuracy  on  this  account.  Very  intri- 
cate designs  are  often  made,  and  yet  with  such 
precision  as  if  the  basket  had  been  stamped  with 
a  die.  This  is  the  real  marvel  in  basket-weaving. 
The  fineness  consists  in  getting  fine  fibre  and  close 
weaving,  but  working  in  the  patterns  or  designs 
is  a  matter  of  nice  mental  calculation,  accuracy  of 
vision  and  discrimination  of  just  proportions. 

The  bottom  of  the  basket  is  first  made.  When 
this  is  completed  a  piece  of  cardboard,  the  same 
size  as  the  bottom,  is  sewed  on  the  inner  side. 
This  is  done  to  stiffen  it,  that  the  upper  part  may 
be  worked  to  better  advantage.  Beside  the  weaver 
is  a  vessel  of  water  into  which  she  thrusts  her 
fingers  every  minute  or  so  while  she  is  weaving, 
to  keep  the  fibre  moist  and  pliable.  If  too  dry,  it 
does  not  work  well. 

Every  woman  is  the  vendor  of  her  own  baskets. 
On  the  arrival  of  steamers  they  take  their  stock 
in  hand  and  make  for  the  wharves.  Some  advan- 
tageous point  is  selected  so  as  to  catch  the  eye  of 
the  traveller.  There  they  sit  without  a  word  until 
spoken  to.  If  they  know  nothing  of  the  English 
they  are  handicapped,  unless  an  English-speaking 
native  is  near.  But  a  little  knowledge  of  it  en- 
ables them  to  carry  on  their  trade.  They  have 
a  uniform  price  for  their  wares,  seldom  making 
any  reduction.  They  seem  unconcerned  whether 
they  sell  their  products  or  not.  You  may  take 
them  or  leave  them.  All  is  quiet,  and  no  effort 
is  put  forth  to  induce  the  prospective  purchaser 


VENDING  BASKETS  91 

to  buy.  If  he  buys,  and  puts  down  the  price,  well 
and  good.  If  he  does  not  it  is  all  the  same. 

No  matter  at  what  hour  the  steamer  arrives,  be 
it  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  native  curio 
vendor  is  there  to  do  business. 

It  is  an  interesting  sight  to  see  anywhere  from 
six  to  a  dozen  native  girls  and  women  squatting 
along  the  passage-way  as  one  leaves  or  boards- the 
steamer  with  their  wares  such  as  baskets,  bead- 
work,  carvings,  etc.,  spread  out  to  view  on  the 
sidewalk  or  ground. 

And,  as  this  trade  is  entirely  with  the  tourists, 
it  behooves  them  to  meet  all  tourist-carrying 
steamers  no  matter  what  hour  their  arrival.  It 
is  a  traffic  which  brings  them  in  a  good  revenue, 
and  the  old  women  especially  are  right  on  to  the 
job.  In  sunshine  or  rain,  day  or  night,  when 
the  steamer  lands  they  are  lined  up  ready  for 
business. 


TRAITS 

ONE  of  the  most  conspicuous  traits  of  the 
Thlinget  is  independence.  What  he  wants 
to  do  he  will  do,  as  a  rule.  He  lives  for  the 
present,  and  gratifies  the  desires  of  the  hour,  no 
matter  what  it  may  cost  him.  If  given  his  choice 
whether  to  accept  five  dollars  at  once  or  fifty 
dollars  a  year  hence,  although  reasonably  certain 
that  he  could  have  the  fifty  dollars,  he  would  ac- 
cept the  five,  and  be  done  with  it.  The  NOW  ap- 
peals to  him.  No  job,  however  lucrative,  holds 
him  if  he  wants  a  holiday,  or  a  lay-off  to  hunt, 
or  even  to  loaf.  Because  of  this  trait,  he  is  un- 
reliable as  an  employe.  Without  a  moment's  no- 
tice, he  will  throw  up  his  job  and  leave;  and  it 
may  be  at  a  time  when  his  services  are  most 
needed.  But  he  cares  neither  about  the  incon- 
venience he  may  make  his  employer  nor  the  loss 
that  falls  upon  himself.  A  white  man  thinks 
twice  before  he  throws  up  his  job.  Not  so  with  the 
Thlinget.  His  desires,  more  than  his  needs,  con- 
trol him. 

Nothing  galls  him  like  being  "  bossed  "  or  con- 
trolled. To  him  it  is  a  species  of  slavery,  and  the 
slave  is  the  lowest  of  all  beings,  in  his  estimation. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  people  make  poor 
and  unreliable  servants.  The  native  girl  who  is 
hired  as  a  domestic  servant  does  not  stay  long. 
She  wants  her  own  way,  to  go  off  and  return  when 


VANITY  93 

she  pleases,  and  chafes  under  commands  or  re- 
strictions. 

This  independent  nature  of  the  native  should 
not  surprise  us  when  we  remember  that  he  has 
grown  up,  practically  speaking,  in  absolute  free- 
dom, even  in  childhood. 

Vanity  is  another  Thlinget  trait.  They  are  very 
fond  of  military  uniforms,  caps  and  badges.  Not 
a  few  join  the  Salvation  Army  that  they  may 
wear  its  caps  and  uniforms.  We  know  a  certain 
chief  who  changed  his  clothes  several  times  while 
the  transient  tourist  steamer  was  lying  at  the 
wharf,  in  order  to  display  his  suits.  He  would 
appear  at  the  steamer  and  parade  around  until 
he  was  satisfied  that  he  had  been  observed  in  all 
of  his  finery.  He  had  military  suits  bedecked 
with  badges,  priestly  suits  (Eussian),  and  other 
remarkable  garments,  all  mainly  for  show.  No 
peacock  ever  strutted  around  with  more  vanity 
than  he. 

For  vainglory  they  often  destroy  their  own 
property.  We  have  seen  fine  canoes  demolished 
with  an  axe  in  a  few  moments  of  time;  dishes, 
stoves  and  other  household  goods  smashed  by 
their  proud  owner,  just  that  he  might  be  consid- 
ered a  greater  man  than  some  other.  In  the  days 
of  slavery,  owners  of  slaves  vied  with  one  another 
in  the  sacrifice  of  slaves.  Slaves  were  property, 
and  the  owner  who  destroyed  the  most  was  consid- 
ered the  greatest  man.  Potlatches  are  given  more 
for  vainglory  than  for  anything  else.  Public 
praise  and  honour  are  the  objects  in  view. 

Because  oolikan  oil  is  a  luxury,  and  costly, 
chiefs  spatter  their  canoe  sails  with  it  to  indicate 
that  they  are  rich  enough  to  waste  the  article. 

Touchiness,  or  sensitiveness,  is  another  con- 


94  TRAITS 

spicuous  trait  of  the  Thlinget.  He  often  takes 
offence  when  none  is  intended.  He  is  very  sensi- 
tive to  slights,  innuendoes,  rebukes,  blame,  cen- 
sure, shame  and  ridicule. 

He  takes  offence  if  he  is  asked  to  do  the  slight- 
est service  for  one  whom  he  regards  as  of  a  lower 
caste  than  himself,  or  to  perform  any  service 
without  compensation,  if  his  proffered  gift  is  re- 
fused, or  if  one  objects  to  any  of  his  food. 

If,  out  of  sympathy,  you  say  to  a  widow,  "  It 
is  too  bad  you  lost  your  husband,"  she  takes  of- 
fence. She  regards  it  as  an  insinuation  that  she 
poisoned  him,  or  did  something  to  kill  him. 

But  the  most  cutting  thing  of  all  to  a  Thlinget 
is  to  be  laughed  at  or  ridiculed.  He  fairly  burns 
with  shame  at  this.  He  has  a  sick  tumtum 
(heart)  for  days  and  days,  and  if  the  offender 
is  a  native  he  is  sometimes  compelled  to  pay  for 
the  offence. 

White  people  who  are  not  familiar  with  the 
ways  of  the  natives  may  very  innocently  offend 
them.  Indeed  their  warmest  white  friends  have 
not  infrequently  done  this. 

They  are  very  sensitive  to  insults,  and  demand 
apologies,  with  payment  for  their  wounded  feel- 
ings. Generally  a  feast  is  given  and  the  offence 
atoned  for  by  a  proper  money  payment.  One  man 
saw  another  encroaching  on  what  he  considered 
his  fishing  ground.  He  went  to  the  trespasser, 
seized  his  gaff  and  broke  it  in  pieces.  This  was 
a  grave  insult  to  the  man  who  owned  the  gaff- 
hook,  but  he  did  not  then  resent  it.  His  tribe, 
however,  took  it  up,  and  in  due  time  proper 
apologies  were  made,  with  a  large  payment  to 
the  offended  party. 

A  certain  chief  was  highly  indignant  because 


IDEAS  OF  DISGRACE  AND  SHAME        95 

others  had  received  invitations  to  attend  a  cer- 
tain feast  before  himself.  He  went  around  the 
community  storming  about  it.  The  feast  was  held 
some  thirty  miles  away,  and  he  absolutely  re- 
fused to  attend  because  of  this  breach  of  etiquette. 
His,  too,  would  have  been  the  lion's  share  in  the 
distribution  of  goods  at  the  feast. 

The  Thlingets  regard  it  as  a  shameful  thing  to 
have  the  face  cut  or  scratched  by  another.  Such 
an  injury  must  be  atoned  for  by  a  big  money 
consideration,  and  it  is  a  disgrace  to  the  injured 
one  and  his  tribe  if  they  do  not  persist  until  the 
injury  has  been  paid  for.  Consequently  all  na- 
tives receiving  such  injuries  never  let  up  on  the 
perpetrator  and  his  tribe  until  a  satisfactory  set- 
tlement has  been  effected.  Hounding  is  one  of 
their  characteristics.  A  creditor  pursues  his 
debtor  until  the  uttermost  farthing  is  paid,  nor 
does  the  injured  forgive  or  forget,  nor  cease  to 
clamour  until  he  has  had  his  redress.  Not  to  be 
paid  for  an  injury  is  a  great  shame. 

It  is  a  matter  of  shame  to  a  Thlinget  to  have 
his  opponent  in  a  quarrel  destroy  at  the  time  more 
personal  property  than  he  does.  This  shows  who 
is  the  richer  man  or  woman,  or  the  one  who  has 
the  greater  contempt  for  property.  The  defeated 
one  has  the  contempt  of  all  the  community. 

Two  women  were  quarrelling.  In  a  rage  one 
of  them  said  to  the  other,  "  I'll  shut  you  up!  ' 
At  that  she  rushed  into  her  house,  came  out  with 
both  hands  full  of  silver  money  and  scattered  it 
to  the  crowd  that  was  watching  the  proceedings. 
This  did  shut  the  mouth  of  her  opponent,  as  she 
could  not  do  likewise. 

A  man  in  an  altercation  shoved  a  chief's  wife 
and  she  fell.  The  chief  owned  a  number  of  slaves. 


96  TRAITS 

As  soon  as  the  wronged  woman  informed  her  hus- 
band, he  sought  revenge  by  heaping  a  greater 
shame  upon  the  man  who  gave  the  insult,  accom- 
plishing it  by  making  a  public  sacrifice  of  some 
of  his  slaves.  As  the  man  who  offered  the  insult 
had  no  slaves  to  sacrifice,  he  was  thus  put  to  ever- 
lasting shame.  So  now  when  natives  quarrel  it 
is  a  common  thing  for  one  to  say  to  the  other, 
"  Shut  up!  You  might  be  like  Mitkeen,"  that  is, 
have  nothing  to  destroy  in  order  to  get  even. 

To  be  called  a  slave,  or  a  witch,  is  a  shame  to 
any  native,  and  sometimes  leads  to  bloodshed.  It 
is  a  great  shame  to  any  native  if  one  speaks  con- 
temptuously of  his  grandmother.  There  is  no 
insult  which  he  will  more  quickly  resent  than  this. 

The  Thlingets  are  revengeful.  An  injury  is 
never  forgotten  or  forgiven  with  most  of  them 
until  in  some  way  they  have  had  revenge.  An 
eye  for  an  eye,  and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  has  been, 
and  still  is,  an  established  principle  with  them.  It 
may  be  long  before  they  strike  back,  but  they 
surely  will  some  day.  The  Sitkans  waited  years 
to  avenge  the  massacre  of  their  men  by  the 
Wrangell  natives.  But  the  day  of  revenge  came, 
and  the  slaughter  was  fearful. 

Jealousy  is  another  of  their  traits.  On  mere 
suspicion  wives  have  been  cruelly  beaten  and  dis- 
figured for  life  by  their  husbands.  Women  are 
sometimes  fearfully  jealous  of  each  other.  When 
so,  each  tries  to  disfigure  the  other. 

The  Thlingets  are  very  crafty.  They  resort  to 
all  sorts  of  schemes  by  which  to  get  money  or 
property  for  themselves.  Matters  that  were  sup- 
posed settled  years  ago  are  raked  up  and  made 
the  basis  for  a  money  claim.  They  wrill  force  some 
insignificant  and  undesirable  present  on  another, 


CRAFTY  AND  POLITIC  97 

and  in  due  time  demand  five  or  ten  times  as  much 
in  return.  Some  article  is  given  for  the  dead, 
and  after  the  funeral  the  relatives  of  the  deceased 
give  ten  times  as  much  in  return.  The  most  ab- 
surd claims  are  made  for  money.  A  native  who 
owned  an  interest  in  a  well-paying  gold  mine  was 
hounded  for  money  by  a  woman,  on  the  ground 
that  she  and  her  people  used  to  fish  in  the  stream 
near  the  gold  mine.  Another  woman  insisted  on 
a  man  paying  her  some  money  because  at  one  time 
she  prayed  (so  she  claimed)  for  the  superintend- 
ent of  the  Training  School  to  take  his  sister  into 
the  school.  She  urged  that  it  was  owing  to  her 
prayer  that  the  sister  was  taken  in,  and  the  girl's 
education  was,  therefore,  due  to  her.  For  this 
reason  she  claimed  that  the  brother  should  pay 
her  some  money. 

Some  put  on  a  poor  face  when  they  have  scores 
of  blankets  stored  away  and  much  money  hoarded 
up.  They  seem  to  think  that  the  missionary  is 
their  legitimate  prey,  that  he  came  among  them 
to  open  his  purse  to  them  whenever  he  is  appealed 
to.  If  he  refuses,  as  he  is  often  obliged  to  do, 
he  is  "  Kla-oosh-ka  "  (no  good). 

The  Thlinget  is  usually  very  politic,  temporiz- 
ing according  as  he  believes  it  is  his  personal  in- 
terest or  not.  The  public  weal  never  appeals  to 
him.  Cunning  and  deceit  are  thought  smart  and 
considered  commendable.  In  trade,  the  white 
man  has  to  be  shrewd  to  outwit  the  average 
Thlinget. 

Seldom  do  we  find  an  avaricious  native.  On  the 
contrary,  he  is  inclined  to  extravagance  and  to  be 
a  spendthrift.  If  he  saves,  it  is  not  for  the  love 
of  hoarding,  but  that  he  may  give  the  more,  in 
due  time,  at  a  feast.  As  a  rule,  he  spends  freely 


98  TRAITS 

and  saves  little,  believing  in  the  Epicurean  doc- 
trine— the  present  gratification  of  fleshly  desires. 

Fickleness  is  a  trait  of  the  native  mind.  In 
this  respect  the  natives  are  very  much  like  chil- 
dren. They  make  a  bargain  and  close  the  deal. 
Afterwards  they  repent  of  the  bargain,  demand  to 
trade  back  and  generally  manage  to  do  so.  The 
native  may  be  your  friend  to-day  and  your  worst 
enemy  to-morrow.  He  changes  his  mind  for  very 
slight  reasons.  He  lacks,  as  a  rule,  any  sense  of 
honour  in  holding  to  his  promises,  contracts  or 
bargains.  You  may  befriend  him  all  you  please, 
but  if  you  offend  him,  or  cross  him,  in  anything, 
he  will  forget  all  you  have  done  for  him  and  re- 
ward you  with  ill  will. 

"  One  fairly  wearies,"  writes  a  government 
teacher,  in  one  of  her  official  reports,  "  of  an  effort 
to  protect  them.  They  can  lie  so  successfully  and 
they  will  go  against  the  missionary  and  the  gov- 
ernment teacher  and^all  who  are  trying  to  help 
and  uplift  them,  and* will  stand  by  the  one  who 
furnishes  them  the  intoxicants — and  why?  Be- 
cause they  want  to  seek  it  yet  again. ' ' 

They  are  inclined  to  be  stolid  and  undemon- 
strative in  the  presence  of  white  strangers,  but 
among  themselves  they  are  loquacious,  lively  and 
full  of  fun  and  laughter.  They  have  wonderful 
control  of  their  feelings.  If  taken  to  New  York 
City,  though  filled  with  wonder  at  the  sights,  they 
would  maintain  as  much  indifference  as  if  they 
had  always  lived  there.  We  have  taken  Thlinget 
children  to  the  States  and  when  we  arrived  at 
Seattle,  have  looked  for  some  expressions  of  sur- 
prise and  wonder  on  their  faces.  But  no  change 
was  visible,  nor  could  we  discover  the  slightest 
emotion. 


FORTITUDE  AND  AFFECTION  99 

Endurance  of  bodily  pain,  especially  by  the 
women,  is  a  characteristic  trait.  In  order  to  bear 
pain  without  a  groan,  they  often  put  a  stick  be- 
tween their  teeth  to  bite  on.  Even  children  are 
taught  to  bear  bodily  pain  bravely.  The  writer 
saw  an  old  woman  walk  barefoot  to  the  beach  and 
wade  into  the  water  up  to  her  knees  with  floating 
ice  all  around  her,  get  into  a  canoe,  take  her  seat 
with  bare,  cold  feet  and  paddle  off,  and  at  the  very 
moment  the  thermometer  was  only  seven  degrees 
above  zero. 

When  loved  ones  die,  grief  takes  strong  hold 
upon  them,  but  it  is  ephemeral.  So  poignant  at 
times  is  their  grief  that  they  throw  themselves 
into  the  fire,  tear  out  their  hair,  stupefy  them- 
selves with  liquor  and  even  commit  suicide. 

Kindred  have  strong  affection  for  one  another. 
This  is  especially  true  of  parents  and  children. 
If  any  member  of  the  family  is  seriously  ill,  no 
matter  how  far  away  the  others  may  be,  they 
will  go  to  him  if  they  have  the  means  to  do  so. 
Parents  are  very  considerate  of  their  children 
when  they  are  sick.  Sick  natives  in  our  hospitals 
at  Juneau  are  often  visited  by  their  relatives  who 
live  many  miles  away.  They  are  tender  in  their 
ministrations  to  the  dying,  and  show  deep  sym- 
pathy for  one  who  meets  with  any  serious  bodily 
injury. 

Hospitality,  another  conspicuous  trait  of  these 
people,  will  be  considered  in  the  chapter  on  to- 
temism. 

Sociability  is  one  of  their  strong  points.  One 
of  the  severest  punishments  to  a  native  is  to  com- 
pel him  to  live  apart  from  his  people.  Men  who 
have  been  sent  to  penitentiaries  in  the  States 
have  soon  died  after  their  incarceration.  No 


100  TRAITS 

Thlinget  will  live  in  solitude  by  himself,  like  a 
white  man. 

Many  of  them  have  sunny  dispositions  and  are 
full  of  humour  and  wit.  Among  themselves  they 
are  continually  joking,  laughing  and  making  funny 
remarks.  We  have  been  with  them  in  camp  and 
in  their  homes,  have  frequently  been  at  their  so- 
cials, and  can  truly  say  that  never  have  we  seen 
a  people,  as  a  class,  take  life  so  happily,  evince 
more  humour  and  bubble  over  more  with  laughter. 

They  are  excessively  fond  of  all  kinds  of  amuse- 
ments. In  their  socials  they  play  all  kinds  of 
games  that  provoke  laughter.  They  are  very  imi- 
tative, and  are  born  mimics  and  mockers.  Native 
children  in  our  missions  show  great  skill  in 
"  taking  off  "  the  fastidious  and  inquisitive  tour- 
ists, and  in  assuming  certain  attitudes  and  tones 
of  the  white  people. 

These  people  are  very  observant,  though  you 
could  scarcely  detect  them  when  they  are  making 
some  of  their  most  critical  observations.  A 
glance  at  a  person  and  they  know  what  he  has  on 
from  head  to  foot.  His  complexion,  facial  fea- 
tures, any  peculiarities  about  him,  rings,  chains, 
in  short,  everything  about  him  is  taken  in.  A 
native  girl  was  assaulted  by  a  white  man.  The 
struggle  to  escape  him,  which  was  successful,  was 
only  for  a  moment,  yet  in  that  moment  of  time, 
and  though  she  was  labouring  under  excitement, 
she  noted  him  so  well  that  there  was  no  trouble 
in  identifying  him.  She  even  described  a  ring  he 
wore.  It  was  the  first  time  she  had  ever  seen  the 
man. 

They  are  also  extremely  clever  in  reading  hu- 
man nature  and  very  fluent  in  speech.  They  are 
never  at  a  loss  to  express  themselves.  In  prayer- 


FLUENCY  OF  SPEECH  101 

meetings,  where  they  invariably  take  part  in 
speaking  and  praying,  they  show  a  power  of  ex- 
pression that  many  public  white  speakers  might 
well  envy.  Among  them  are  several  very  able 
orators  in  their  own  tongue.  It  is  proverbial 
that  a  woman  has  a  lively  tongue,  and  this  surely 
holds  good  with  the  Thlinget  women.  When  quar- 
relling, as  they  do  all  too  frequently,  their  flow 
of  language  is  very  surprising — and  none  too 
delicate. 

They  employ  much  imagery,  and  their  rhetoric 
is  often  very  flowery.  Before  coming  to  the  point 
they  beat  about  the  bush,  commencing  their  re- 
marks with  some  ancient  history  of  their  an- 
cestors. 

In  their  homes  and  among  themselves  they  have 
a  habit  of  all  talking  at  the  same  time;  and  yet 
they  seem  to  be  able  not  to  confuse  one  another 
and  able  to  distinguish  what  each  has  said.  We 
have  heard  six  or  more,  all  labouring  under  ex- 
citement and  jabbering  away,  and  yet  each  had 
a  clear  knowledge  of  what  all  the  others  said. 

They  are  not  bloodthirsty,  nor  is  treachery  a 
pronounced  trait.  It  is  true  that  they  have  se- 
cretly killed  white  people,  but  not  from  treachery, 
but  from  their  inexorable  law  of  life  for  life.  And 
it  matters  not  whose  life  it  is,  so  it  be  one  of  the 
race  of  the  one  who  took  a  life  from  them. 

While  gratitude  is  not  a  marked  trait  of  this 
people,  yet  many  of  them  are  possessed  with  this 
grace.  We  have  evidences  of  this  in  the  posses- 
sion of  some  of  their  handiwork  which  gratitude 
prompted  them  to  give  us.  Baskets,  silver  spoons, 
rings,  beadwork,  small  totem  poles,  curios  of  one 
kind  and  another,  and  even  a  solid  gold  watch 
worth  forty-five  dollars  have  been  given  the  au- 


103  TRAITS 

thor  as  a  token  of  their  esteem  and  an  expression 
of  their  gratitude.  Their  personal  photographs, 
numbering  more  than  a  hundred,  have  also  been 
given  him  for  the  same  reason. 

I  think  oftentimes  they  appreciate  favours  done 
them,  but  lack  the  grace  of  expressing  their  ap- 
preciation. It  is  only  just,  however,  to  say  that 
the  better  educated  evince,  and  that  in  a  very 
graceful  manner,  their  appreciation  of  all  favours 
done  them.  It  must  be  acknowledged  that  there 
are  those,  and  not  a  few,  who  show  no  gratitude 
whatever  and  seem  to  think  any  favour  shown  them 
is  their  due.  But  to  assert,  as  some  do,  that  they 
are  absolutely  devoid  and  incapable  of  gratitude, 
is  incorrect,  to  say  the  least.  The  Thlinget,  as  has 
been  shown,  is  not  a  very  demonstrative  person- 
age, and  this  accounts  to  some  extent  for  his  seem- 
ing lack  of  gratitude. 


XI 

FOOD 

ALTHOUGH  the  Thlingets  live  in  a  country 
that  has  an  inhospitable  climate,  yet  the 
Creator  has  endowed  it  with  a  great  variety 
of  foodstuffs.  Its  waters  teem  with  fish  the  year 
through,  its  woods  with  game,  and  its  soil  is  pro- 
ductive of  vegetables  and  small  fruits. 

Fish  constitute  the  principal  food  of  the  na- 
tives, as  it  is  the  most  abundant  and  most  easily 
procured  of  all  foods  in  Alaska. 

While  there  is  a  variety  of  fish  to  draw  from, 
yet  salmon  is  by  far  the  most  popular  and  the 
most  abundantly  used. 

There  are  five  varieties  of  this  species,  the 
king,  silver,  sock-eye,  humpback  and  dog-salmon. 
The  humpback  is  more  largely  cured  by  the  na- 
tives for  winter  use  than  any  other.  As  fresh 
fish,  the  red  salmon  is  most  largely  used. 

The  red  and  silver  salmon  are  caught  with  hook 
and  line  or  with  net,  while  the  humpback  and  dog- 
salmon  are  caught  with  gaff-hook  or  net.  The 
humpback  and  dog-salmon  are  caught  mostly  in 
shallow  streams.  When  caught,  they  are  turned 
over  to  the  women,  who  clean  and  cut  them  into 
slices,  after  removing  the  bones,  and  then  hang 
them  on  wooden  frames  to  be  dried  by  the  wind 
and  sun.  After  they  are  thoroughly  cured  they 
are  tied  up  in  bundles  and  stored  away  for  winter 
use. 

103 


104  FOOD 

The  halibut  are  treated  in  the  same  way  as 
the  salmon,  but  not  so  largely  used  for  curing 
purposes,  as  they  can  get  them  fresh  the  year 
round. 

The  natives  consider  the  humpback  the  most 
palatable  of  the  salmon  species. 

Herring,  oolikan  (candle-fish),  and  seal  are  also 
staple  fish  foods.  They  make  but  very  little  use 
of  the  other  varieties  of  fish,  such  as  cod,  torn- 
cod,  flounder,  trout,  bass,  etc. 

The  herring  are  caught  with  a  rake  the  teeth 
of  which  are  perpendicular  rather  than  horizontal. 
It  is  a  pole  eight  or  ten  feet  long,  the  lower  end 
being  blade-shaped  so  it  may  cut  easily  through 
the  water.  The  teeth  project  from  the  sharper 
edge  of  this  blade  in  a  row  two  or  three  feet  long. 
While  a  canoe  is  being  paddled  along  by  one  na- 
tive another  uses  this  rake.  He  thrusts  it  down 
into  the  school  of  herring,  gives  it  a  sweep  through 
the  school,  impaling  as  many  as  he  can  on  the 
sharp  teeth,  and  then  draws  it  up  and  dumps  his 
catch  into  the  canoe.  In  a  short  time  he  can  fill 
a  small  canoe  in  this  manner.  The  herring  are 
prized  not  so  much  for  the  meat  as  for  their  oil. 
This  is  boiled  out  of  them  and  put  into  cans  and 
boxes  for  winter  use. 

Fish  and  seal  oils  are  important  staples  of 
food.  Some  bear  oil  is  used,  but  not  to  any  great 
extent.  The  principal  oils  of  the  Thlingets  are 
extracted  from  the  herring  and  oolikan,  the  latter 
furnishing  the  most  desirable. 

While  the  herring  are  taken  almost  the  year 
round,  the  oolikan  appear  in  the  spring  only,  and 
then  for  but  two  or  three  weeks.  They  come  into 
certain  rivers  in  great  schools,  literally  cramming 
them.  They  are  scooped  out  of  the  river  with  a 


OOLIKAN  105 

dip-net,  and  dumped  into  a  large  hole  in  the 
ground  to  "  mellow  "  (rot).  It  is  claimed  that 
the  oil  comes  out  of  them  better  when  in  a  state 
of  putrefaction.  This  is  not  considered  a  de- 
traction in  any  way,  but  rather  adds  excellence  to 
the  taste,  just  as  some  highly  civilized  people 
prefer  cheese  flavoured  with  skippers  and  fowl 
mellowed  with  age. 

When  sufficiently  "  ripe,"  the  oolikan  are  taken 
put  of  the  hole  and  put  into  a  small  canoe  which 
is  used  as  a  caldron.  Hot  stones  are  thrown 
among  the  fish  to  try  the  oil  out,  and  this  is  put 
into  boxes  or  cans  of  about  five  gallons  capacity 
and  stored  away  for  winter  use.  When  cool  it 
has  about  the  same  colour  and  consistency  as 
butter,  and  is  practically  the  butter  of  the  people. 
They  scarcely  eat  a  meal  without  using  oil.  The 
Thlinget  dips  his  bread,  biscuit  and  dried  fish  into 
it  and  puts  up  his  berries  for  winter  use  in  it. 
His  body  is  so  saturated  with  it  through  use  as 
to  make  his  skin  shiny  and  almost  impervious  to 
the  cold.  Seldom  do  natives  freeze  to  death, 
though  often  exposed  to  cold  that  no  white  man 
could  endure  without  an  abundance  of  warm 
clothes  to  protect  him. 

The  herring  are  treated  in  a  different  way  from 
the  oolikan.  While  fresh  they  are  put  into  large 
iron  pots  (in  earlier  times  into  large  baskets) 
and  hot  stones  are  thrown  in  with  them  to  boil  the 
grease  out.  It  is  put  up  in  the  same  way  as  that 
from  the  oolikan,  and  is  of  about  the  same  colour 
and  consistency  as  molasses,  only  not  so  sluggish 
in  movement. 

The  herring  spawn,  while  it  lasts — which  is  for 
a  month  or  more  in  the  spring — is  eagerly  sought 
and  feasted  on  in  its  raw  state,  just  as  it  is  taken 


106  FOOD 

from  the  sea.  Herring  have  particular  spawning 
grounds  to  which  they  resort  every  spring.  They 
will  not  spawn  elsewhere.  Every  object  in  the 
water — shells,  rocks,  seaweed,  pebbles,  the  ground 
at  the  place  of  spawning — is  covered  with  their 
minute  eggs,  the  spawn  coating  every  object  from 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  half  an  inch  thick.  The 
natives  throw  branches  of  the  hemlock  tree  into 
the  water  for  the  spawn  to  catch  on,  and  these 
are  brought  out  of  the  water  literally  weighted 
down  with  the  delicacy.  The  spawn  is  then  ex- 
posed to  the  sun  until  cured,  a  process  which 
colours  it  like  gold.  The  spawning  grounds  are 
an  interesting  sight  when  the  natives  are  curing 
these  infinitesimal  eggs  for  future  use.  The 
small  trees  look  as  if  they  had  taken  on  their 
autumnal  colours  when  it  is  nothing  more  than 
the  sun-dried  herring  spawn  hanging  on  them. 

After  it  is  so  cured,  they  soak  it  in  water.  This 
loosens  it  from  the  twigs,  and  then  they  throw  it 
into  their  mouths  with  their  fingers. 

The  salmon  roe  is  also  put  up  in  oil  for  winter 
use.  This,  like  the  oolikan,  is  allowed  to  mellow 
before  it  is  mixed  with  oil  for  the  winter  feasting. 
The  mellowing  feature  is  a  very  popular  one  with 
the  natives.  Salmon  heads  are  buried  in  the 
ground  and  left  there  for  days  until  they 
become  good  and  ripe.  They  are  then  taken 
out  and,  without  any  further  cooking,  devoured 
with  the  zest  with  which  a  hungry  urchin  would 
devour  a  piece  of  pumpkin  pie.  The  odour  from 
this  delectable  dish  is  so  pungent  that  the  ordi- 
nary white  man  could  not  possibly  stand  around 
while  the  meal  is  going  on.  The  odour  from  the 
herring  while  in  process  of  cooking,  though  by  no 
means  weak,  is  tame  indeed  as  compared  with  that 


DELICACIES  107 

which  emanates  from  the  juicy,  ground-baked  fish 
heads.  But  when  it  comes  to  pungent  odours, 
that  of  the  oolikan  scraps  beats  them  all.  So 
penetrating  and  durable  is  it  that  the  holes  in 
which  they  were  mellowed  years  ago  still  send 
forth  a  smell  which,  when  it  strikes  the  nostrils, 
makes  a  man  involuntarily  reach  up  and  compress 
his  nose.  No  slaughter-house  nor  glue  factory 
can  turn  out  an  odour  equal  to  the  oolikan  ground. 
Most  Americans  who  have  ever  had  a  whiff  of  it 
will  walk  miles  out  of  their  way,  if  need  be,  to 
avoid  the  grounds  where  this  odoriferous  little 
oolikan  is  treated  for  its  oil. 

Certain  portions  of  the  snout  of  the  humpback 
salmon,  and  the  head  and  tail  of  the  silver  fish, 
are  frequently  eaten  raw.  But  it  is  not  done  be- 
cause the  natives  are  particularly  fond  of  those 
parts.  They  do  it  because  it  is  said  that  the  crow, 
a  long  time  ago,  cooked  these  parts,  and  so  they 
are  edible  just  as  they  come  out  of  the  water. 

If  you  ask  a  native  how  he  can  endure  raw  fish, 
he  will  ask  the  white  man  how  he  can  eat  raw 
oysters  or  "  live  "  cheese.  Neither  of  these  deli- 
cacies of  the  white  man  could  reach  the  palate  of 
a  native. 

Hair-seal  (tsa)  and  fur-seal  (goon)  are  not  only 
used  as  food,  but  are  prized  for  their  oil.  What 
pork  is  to  the  white  man,  seal  meat  is  to  the  native. 
In  land  animals,  the  principal  meat  used  is 
venison.  The  deer  abound  in  the  Thlinget's  coun- 
try, and  are  easily  killed.  Venison,  as  well  as 
fish,  is  sun-dried  and  put  up  for  future  use,  but 
not  in  such  quantities  as  is  fish.  Porcupines, 
ground-hogs  and  bears  are  very  plentiful  and  their 
meat  is  largely  used.  The  meat  of  the  mountain 
sheep  is  highly  prized,  but  they  are  far  more  dif- 


108  FOOD 

ficult  to  kill  than  any  other  animal,  as  they  browse 
on  top  of  almost  inaccessible  cliffs,  practically  de- 
fying the  hunter.  Sections  of  country  that  once 
abounded  with  them  now  never  see  them. 

The  lakes  and  marshes  of  southeastern  Alaska 
fairly  teem,  at  times,  with  wild  fowl,  such  as 
geese,  mallard  and  other  ducks.  The  natives  make 
but  very  little  use  of  such,  as  they  do  not  care  to 
bother  with  picking  and  dressing  them. 

Clams,  cockles,  mussels  and  crabs  are  plentiful, 
and  the  natives  are  fond  of  them  all,  especially 
of  a  big  rock  barnacle  known  as  "  gum-boot." 
They  will  boil  out  a  bushel  or  more  of  cockles  or 
clams  at  a  time.  Then  they  string  them  on  sticks, 
or  string,  to  be  eaten  as  desired.  They  will  keep 
a  number  of  days,  even  in  the  summer,  thus  pre- 
pared. When  we  have  been  out  with  the  people 
on  their  jaunts,  we  have  shared  with  them  cockles 
and  clams  so  prepared.  Any  one  who  is  fond  of 
boiled  clams  will  like  them. 

Crabs  and  mussels  are  both  boiled  and  roasted, 
and  are  relished  either  way  by  the  natives.  Both 
crabs  and  clams  attain  wonderful  size.  We  have 
seen  crabs  that  measured  fifty-four  inches  from 
the  tip  of  one  leg  to  the  tip  of  the  other  and 
weighed  fifteen  pounds  each;  and  clams  (called 
"  yes  "  in  the  native  tongue)  six  or  seven  inches 
in  diameter. 

The  small-sized  scuttle,  or  devil,  fish  is  very 
highly  prized  as  a  food.  The  tentacles  are  fried 
or  boiled.  It  is  claimed  by  the  natives  that  this 
is  a  very  delicate  morsel. 

Berries,  of  which  there  are  no  fewer  than  thirty 
varieties,  form  an  important  part  of  the  food  sup- 
plies. They  grow  wild  and  some  of  them  in  great 
abundance.  Tons  upon  tons  of  the  finest  huckle- 


BERRIES  109 

berries,  high-bush  cranberries,  nagoon  berries, 
salmonberries,  and  other  kinds  go  to  waste  every 
season.  There  are  four  or  five  varieties  of  huckle- 
berries, two  of  salmonberries,  two  of  cranberries 
and  three  of  currants.  Then  there  are  straw- 
berries, raspberries,  thimbleberries,  soap-berries 
and  others. 

Huckleberries,  nagoon  berries  and  cranberries 
are  put  up  in  fish  oil  in  great  quantities  for  win- 
ter use. 

The  soap-berry  is  also  put  up,  but  not  in  oil, 
and  when  used  it  is  put  into  a  washbowl,  a  dish- 
pan  or  a  large  wooden  chopping-bowl,  and  beaten 
vigorously  with  the  open  hand  into  a  cream  which 
resembles  in  appearance,  when  ready  to  eat, 
strawberry  ice  cream,  only  it  is  light  as  foam. 
Both  men  and  women  whip  these  berries  with 
their  hands,  their  sleeves  rolled  up  to  the  elbows, 
the  hand  being  buried  in  the  succulent  mess  as  it 
is  swished  around  beating  it  into  a  cream.  When 
one  tires  at  the  job  another  takes  a  turn  at  it. 
Thus  they  keep  it  up  until  it  is  ready  to  eat.  Half 
a  dozen  sit  around  a  bowl  of  soap-berries,  each 
helping  himself  with  a  spoon  as  often  as  he  likes. 

Crabapples  were  once  largely  eaten,  but  since 
the  introduction  of  the  white  man's  fruits  (apples, 
oranges,  peaches,  etc.)  they  make  no  use  of  them. 

Very  few  of  the  imported  fruits  used  by  the 
white  people  are  eaten  by  the  natives.  The  apple 
is  the  most  popular.  Certain  canned  fruits,  the 
peach,  pear  and  apricots,  are  also  used.  Pickles, 
mustard  and  condiments  of  all  kinds  find  no  place 
in  the  Thlinget's  diet.  Even  salt  is  rejected. 

The  principal  vegetables  used  are  potatoes  and 
turnips.  These  they  raise  themselves  as  well  as 
buy  them.  Cabbage  is  eaten  both  raw  and  cooked. 


110  FOOD 

They  cook  a  wild  rice  which  is  bulbous  in  its  na- 
ture and  taken  from  the  ground.  A  popular  na- 
tive vegetable  which  grows  wild  is  yd-nadte 
(celery).  This  matures  in  May,  and  is  gathered 
by  the  armload  and  eaten  as  we  eat  celery,  only 
without  salt.  We  have  seen  women  and  children 
with  their  laps  full  of  it,  eating  away  until  the 
whole  was  consumed.  They  peal  the  outer  skin 
off  and  eat  the  inner  stem  of  the  plant,  which 
resembles  the  pumpkin  stalk. 

Another  article  of  diet  is  the  white,  or  inner, 
bark  of  the  young  spruce  tree.  This  is  cooked 
before  being  eaten.  They  use  the  gum  of  the 
spruce  tree  for  chewing,  as  well  as  the  imported 
gum.  One  stick  often  does  service  for  several 
members  of  the  family. 

One  of  their  most  popular  vegetables  is  sea- 
weed. This  resembles  the  cabbage  leaf,  but  is 
finer,  when  taken  from  the  sea.  There  is  much 
labour  connected  with  curing  it.  It  is  spread  in 
the  sun  and  just  before  it  is  thoroughly  dry  it  is 
seasoned  with  cockle  juice  or  the  juice  of  some 
other  shellfish.  It  is  then  put  into  a  five-gallon 
oil  can  and  pressed  into  square  cakes  about  an 
inch  thick.  To  accomplish  this  a  layer  of  sea- 
weed is  put  in  and  then  a  layer  of  fine  hemlock. 
The  twigs  separate  the  layers  of  seaweed  and 
give  it  a  flavour  that  the  natives  like.  The  can 
is  thus  filled  to  the  top  and  then  a  heavy  weight 
is  put  on  the  whole  to  make  the  desired  cakes. 
Every  day  when  the  sun  shines  it  is  carefully 
taken  out  and  each  layer  exposed  to  the  sun  to 
harden.  When  the  sun  goes  down  it  is  carefully 
packed  away  again.  This  is  repeated  for  a  long 
time  before  it  is  properly  cured;  when  finished 
it  will  retain  its  sweetness  for  months.  The  cakes 


WHITE  MAN'S  FOOD  111 

sell  for  fifty  cents  each.  Sometimes  it  is  broken 
up  and  cooked  with  oil,  forming  a  sort  of  salad, 
before  it  is  eaten.  But  the  popular  way  is  to 
break  it  off  the  cakes  and  eat  it  without  cooking. 

The  inner  bark  of  the  hemlock  is  treated  very 
much  in  the  same  manner  as  seaweed,  being 
pressed  into  cakes  for  future  use.  This  is  cooked 
before  eating. 

Tea  and  coffee  are  popular  beverages,  but  are 
not  relished  without  sugar,  as  the  natives  are  very 
fond  of  sweets. 

Flour  is  used,  but  mostly  to  make  flapjacks  with 
plenty  of  grease.  There  are  few  good  cooks,  and 
fewer  who  can  do  anything  with  flour  in  the  line  of 
pastry  cooking.  Stewing  and  boiling  are  their 
principal  ways  of  cooking.  Not  many  have  stoves 
with  ovens,  and  but  little  baking  is  done,  nor  do 
they  have  eggs,  milk,  plenty  of  butter  and  other 
things  usually  found  in  the  culinary  department 
of  the  average  white  woman. 

All  things  considered,  some  of  them  do  remarka- 
bly well  as  cooks.  We  have  sat  down  to  meals 
entirely  cooked  and  served  by  native  women  that 
would  appeal  to  the  palate  of  the  most  fastidious. 
We  have  sat  down  to  banquets  given  by  natives 
where  everything  was  appetizing  and  well  served. 
At  some  of  these  banquets  more  than  two  hundred 
were  seated,  showing  that  they  are  very  capable 
when  willing  to  exert  themselves. 

The  more  advanced  of  the  native  women  are 
good  housekeepers  and  equal  to  preparing  good 
meals. 

It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  most  of 
them  are  exceedingly  handicapped,  as  they  have 
not  the  facilities  for  fancy  cooking  that  their  white 
sisters  have. 


xn 

EXTINCT  CUSTOMS 

MANY  of  the  customs  of  the  Thlingets,  while 
they  strike  the  average  civilized  man  as 
peculiar,  ludicrous  or  cruel,  are  common  to 
most  of  the  uncivilized  and  semi-civilized  tribes 
of  the  earth. 

In  treating  of  these,  we  will  divide  them  into 
three  classes — the  obsolete,  those  about  to  become 
so,  and  those  that  are  yet  in  full  sway. 

As  war  was  a  popular  occupation  of  the  nations 
during  the  age  of  Alexander  the  Great,  so  it  once 
was  with  our  native  Alaskans.  Indeed,  at  one 
time  it  was  their  chief  occupation,  carried  on  for 
spoils,  for  the  love  of  excitement  and  for  revenge. 
The  warrior 's  accoutrements  were  then  the  most 
cherished  of  the  Thlinget's  possessions.  In  times 
of  peace  he  was  largely  engaged  in  making  im- 
plements of  war. 

The  boldest  and  most  formidable  of  all  the 
Thlinget  tribes  were  the  Chilkats  of  the  north. 
The  fiercest  warriors  of  the  country  were  the 
Hydahs.  These  frequently  made  war  on  the 
Thlingets.  Tribute  was  exacted  from  the  weaker 
tribes  of  the  Thlingets  by  the  stronger  ones. 
Every  tribe  had  to  be  in  a  continual  state  of  de- 
fence and  preparation  for  war,  as  they  knew  not 
the  hour  when  they  would  be  surprised  by  some 
hostile  tribe.  In  some  of  these  encounters  there 
were  terrible  butcheries.  Those  who  escaped  the 

113 


PRISONERS  OF  WAR  113 

knife  or  club  were  carried  off  to  become  slaves 
of  the  victorious  party. 

Treachery  was  regarded  as  a  lawful  means  by 
which  to  entrap  enemies.  Surprise,  cunning, 
treachery  and  ambush  entered  more  into  their 
warfare  than  open  valour.  Prisoners  of  war  were 
either  killed  or  held  as  slaves.  There  are  certain 
spots  in  the  country  where  prisoners  of  war  were 
taken  to  be  killed.  Their  heads  were  cut  off  and 
put  in  a  heap.  Children  taken  in  war  were  not 
decapitated.  The  female  children  were  killed  in 
a  manner  too  revolting  to  mention. 

Strong  and  healthy  captives  were  reserved  and 
held  as  slaves.  Their  masters  had  absolute  power 
over  them  and  could  beat  them,  sell  them  or  kill 
them  as  they  pleased. 

Many  tribes  of  the  Aleuts,  who  were  a  meek  and 
docile  people,  were  decimated  by  the  fierce  Thlin- 
gets.  The  weak  and  abject  Stick  Indians  were 
held  in  fearful  terror  of  them.  When  the  Thlin- 
gets  entered  their  country  they  dictated  the  prices 
for  their  furs  and  other  commodities.  The  fear- 
ful Sticks  yielded  to  this  dictation  and  were  ter- 
ribly oppressed  by  the  haughty  Thlingets. 

During  the  Eussian  occupation  of  Alaska,  the 
Thlingets  attacked  Eussian  settlements.  Several 
of  these  attacks  have  gone  down  into  history,  nota- 
bly the  massacre  of  the  Eussians  at  Sitka  in  June, 
1802,  the  attack  led  by  the  famous  Katlian  at  Sitka 
in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  the 
massacre  at  Yakutat  in  1805,  and  other  minor 
conflicts. 

Since  the  American  occupation  there  have  been 
several  battles  between  the  Americans  and  na- 
tives. At  least  two  of  these  are  now  recorded 
history — one  which  took  place  at  Sitka  on  New 


114.  EXTINCT  CUSTOMS 

Year's  day,  1869,  and  the  other  at  Wrangell  on 
Christmas  night,  1869. 

The  last  great  stroke  of  war  between  tribes  of 
the  Thlingets  was  delivered  in  1851.  It  was  a 
fearful  massacre  of  the  Stickeens,  or  Yfrangell- 
ites,  planned  and  executed  by  the  great  Kok-won- 
tons  of  Sitka.  The  Wrangellites,  some  time  be- 
fore, had  perpetrated  a  similar  massacre  on  the 
Sitkans,  and  the  Kok-won-tons  struck  back  in 
revenge. 

The  Wrangellites  were  lured  to  Sitka.  Under 
the  guise  of  hospitality  a  great  dance  was  given 
in  their  honour.  While  in  the  heat  of  the  dance, 
and  handicapped  with  their  dancing  costumes  on, 
they  were  fallen  upon  and  all  put  to  death  with 
knife  and  club.  It  was  a  frightful  slaughter,  and 
one  that  no  Thlinget  can  ever  forget. 

Since  then  there  have  been  no  tribal  wars. 
There  have  been  some  insignificant  feuds  and 
family  quarrels,  but  nothing  that  would  merit  the 
name  of  war.  Strictly  speaking,  none  of  their  kill- 
ings would  merit  the  name  of  war,  for  they  made 
no  declarations  of  war,  sent  out  no  challenges,  nor 
did  they  line  up  in  battle.  All  of  their  attacks  were 
planned  in  secrecy  and  executed  in  strategy. 
Their  supreme  concern  was  to  take  their  enemies 
by  surprise  and  at  a  disadvantage. 

Their  fights  with  the  Russians  were  not  without 
justification.  They  were  oppressed,  insulted,  mal- 
treated and  debauched  by  these  foreigners.  They 
were  fairly  driven  to  avenge  the  wrongs  which 
these  ingrates  had  inflicted  upon  them.  They  were 
peaceably  inclined  and  showed  themselves  friendly 
toward  the  intruders  until  they  saw  with  what  a 
set  of  cruel,  avaricious  and  immoral  adventurers 
they  had  to  deal.  Then  they  showed  that  they  did 


JEALOUS  FEUDS  115 

not  lack  the  spirit  to  avenge  their  wrongs  and  de- 
fend themselves.  As  their  Caucasian  enemies  had 
superior  weapons  of  warfare,  in  order  to  gain  an 
advantage  they  had  to  resort  to  strategy  and 
surprise. 

Sometimes  tribal  jealousies  brought  on  con- 
flicts. The  tribe  defeated  in  a  dancing  contest  be- 
came jealous  of  the  victorious  tribe.  Slurs  and 
insults  followed  until  a  fight  was  precipitated. 
Sometimes  a  dozen  or  more  would  fall  before  the 
feud  was  settled.  The  killing  proceeded  until 
those  who  had  fallen  on  one  side  were  equal  in 
rank  to  those  who  had  fallen  on  the  other.  When 
they  were  dancing  and  potlatching,  if  one  side 
made  one  song  more  than  the  other  it  would  cause 
a  quarrel  which  usually  ended  in  a  bloody  en- 
counter. Frequently  on  these  occasions  the  most 
innocent  remarks  were  misconstrued,  and  then 
trouble  followed.  At  Kluckwan  a  chief  has  in  his 
possession  a  large  basket  known  as  the  Mother- 
of-baskets  and  a  dish  (in  reality  a  wooden  trough) 
known  as  the  Worm-dish.  The  former  stands 
nearly  three  feet  high  from  the  floor  and  is  about 
two  and  one-half  feet  in  diameter,  while  the  latter 
is  about  thirteen  feet  long,  two  feet  wide  and  a 
foot  and  one-half  deep.  This  dish  is  carved  out 
of  a  solid  log  and  resembles  an  immense  wood- 
worm. These  two  receptacles  have  been  used  from 
time  immemorial  for  eating  contests.  They  are 
filled  with  food,  and  whichever  side  eats  the  con- 
tents first  wins  the  contest. 

Some  years  ago  a  tribe  of  the  Wrangellites  had 
a  contest  with  a  tribe  of  the  Chilkats,  the  former 
using  the  Worm-dish  and  the  latter  the  Mother-of- 
baskets.  On  this  occasion  the  former  tribe  won. 
This  incensed  the  other  tribe,  and  a  bloody  fight 


116  EXTINCT  CUSTOMS 

followed.  Several  on  both  sides  fell  before  the 
fray  was  ended.  These  feuds  could  hardly  be 
dignified  by  the  name  of  war.  They  were  mere 
outbursts  of  passion  engendered  by  jealousy.  We 
hear  no  more  now  of  this  petty  kind  of  warfare. 

Until  they  came  into  possession  of  firearms,  the 
war  implements  of  the  Thlingets  were  very  crude. 
Spears,  bow  and  arrows,  knives,  clubs  and  stone 
axes  constituted  their  weapons  of  warfare.  They 
could  make  very  little  headway  with  these  against 
the  muskets  and  cannon  of  the  white  men. 

But  the  battle-flag  of  the  Thlinget  has  long  been 
furled  and  the  throb  of  his  war-drum  unheard. 
May  the  one  never  be  unfurled  and  the  other  never 
heard  again. 

Slavery  is  another  of  their  obsolete  customs.  It 
has  not  been  so  many  years  ago  since  this  ob- 
tained with  all  of  its  revolting  cruelties.  It  was 
at  the  bottom  of  most  of  their  wars,  as  they  were 
conducted  chiefly  to  obtain  slaves.  There  are  liv- 
ing to-day  not  a  few  who  were  once  held  as  slaves, 
and  some  of  them  are  comparatively  young.  They 
and  their  children  are  still  looked  down  upon  by 
those  who  had  the  good  fortune  never  to  come 
within  the  grasp  of  slavery. 

"  A  full  third  of  the  large  population  of  this 
coast  are  slaves  of  the  most  helpless  and  abject 
description."  So  writes  Bancroft  in  his  "  His- 
tory of  Alaska." 

While  free  men  and  women  captured  in  war 
were  made  slaves,  many  were  born  into  bondage. 
Slaves  were  also  captured  from  other  tribes. 
None  but  the  high-caste,  however,  were  allowed 
to  hold  slaves,  and  the  chiefs  were,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  the  largest  slave-holders. 

These  wretched  men  and  women  were  the  con- 


TREATMENT  OF  SLAVES  117 

stant  victims  of  cruelty.  They  were  compelled  to 
do  all  kinds  of  menial  work,  such  as  getting  wood, 
making  fires,  packing  dead  game,  providing  fish, 
carrying  water,  paddling  canoes  and,  in  short, 
every  species  of  drudgery. 

The  slave  was  compelled  not  only  to  wait  on  his 
master,  but  on  every  member  of  his  master's 
household.  Women  slaves  did  every  hand's  turn 
for  their  master's  daughter.  The  master  was 
supposed  not  to  carry  so  much  as  a  paddle.  His 
slave  had  to  do  this. 

Knowing  that  their  lives  were  in  their  master's 
hands,  they  were  abjectly  submissive  to  every 
command  and  exceedingly  careful  to  give  their 
lord  no  offence.  There  were  several  events  which 
demanded  the  sacrifice  of  slaves,  and  no  one  could 
tell  when  these  events  would  take  place.  The 
erection  of  a  house,  the  death  of  the  owner,  the 
death  of  any  member  of  his  household,  an  unusual 
feast,  some  occurrence  to  give  shame  to  the 
owner,  the  mere  gratification  of  his  vanity,  de- 
manded the  sacrifice  of  slaves. 

When  a  chief  died,  just  as  he  was  expiring  sev- 
eral slaves  were  sacrificed  near  the  door  of  his 
house.  A  chief  was  drowned  in  the  treacherous 
waters  of  the  Taku  river.  His  body  was  not 
recovered,  but  at  the  spot  where  he  was  drowned 
two  of  his  slaves  were  put  to  death  and  their 
bodies  thrown  into  the  river. 

We  have  seen  in  the  village  of  Kluckwan  a  house 
where  a  slave  was  put  into  each  foundation  hole 
of  its  corners  for  the  posts  to  rest  upon.  We  were 
told  that  this  was  done  to  insure  a  good  founda- 
tion. When  a  member  of  any  chief's  family  was 
tattooed,  or  had  an  earlobe  pierced  for  rings,  the 
event  was  so  important  that  a  slave  was  sacri- 


118  EXTINCT  CUSTOMS 

ficed.  If  a  high-caste  man  was  given  any  great 
shame,  he  would  sacrifice  a  slave  or  two  to  wipe 
out  the  shame.  This  showed  how  rich  and  im- 
portant he  was. 

The  grandfather  of  one  of  our  educated  young 
men  was  a  very  high-caste  man  of  the  Chilkats. 
He  lived  at  Kluckwan,  a  renowned  old  Indian  vil- 
lage. His  male  slaves  lived  in  a  house  on  one  side 
of  his  and  his  female  slaves  in  another  on  the 
other  side.  When  he  died  a  number  of  them  were 
butchered  and  their  bodies  thrown  into  the  river. 

Another  middle-aged  man  has  told  us  that  he 
was  an  eye-witness  to  the  killing  of  a  beautiful 
girl  slave.  After  the  killing,  he  saw  them  put  a 
rope  around  her  neck  and  then  tow  her  lifeless 
body  out  from  the  shore.  When  a  sufficient  dis- 
tance from  the  shore  the  rope  was  cut  and  her 
body  sank,  a  prey  to  the  fishes. 

The  dead  bodies  of  slaves  were  always  thrown 
into  the  bay,  sea  or  river.  They  were  never  ac- 
corded the  honour  of  burning  or  burial.  Ignominy 
was  their  lot  in  death  as  well  as  in  life. 

Slaves  were  frequently  manumitted.  Several 
events  were  the  occasions  of  these  manumissions. 
When  a  slave  dressed  his  master  for  the  dance  in 
the  heirlooms  of  his  tribe  he  was  set  free.  Some- 
times through  mere  vanity  of  the  owner  they  were 
given  their  liberty.  The  master  would  then  be 
talked  of  as  a  great  man. 

The  writer  knew  one  man  who  had  such  love  for 
his  daughter  that  when  she  gave  birth  to  a  son 
he  was  so  happy  that  he  set  free  a  valuable  slave. 

So  while  the  poor  slave  was  in  constant  fear 
that  he  might  be  killed  any  day,  there  was  also 
hope  that  he  might  be  given  his  liberty.  This 
hope,  doubtless,  kept  him  from  utter  despair,  and 


CREMATION  119 

led  him  to  be  cautions  and  servile  when,  without 
it,  in  desperation  he  might  have  defied  his  master 
and  even  killed  him. 

Slavery,  we  are  happy  to  say,  no  longer  exists 
among  the  Thlingets.  It  was  blotted  out,  not  as 
the  black  man's  was,  with  the  musket  and  sword 
and  at  the  cost  of  many  precious  lives,  but  by  the 
gentle  and  peaceable  means  of  the  Gospel. 

At  one  time  cremation  was  the  universal  way 
of  disposing  of  the  dead,  except  of  the  bodies 
of  slaves,  which  were  thrown  into  the  water,  and 
the  remains  of  shamans,  which  were  embalmed 
and  deposited  in  deadhouses.  The  universal  cus- 
tom now  is  to  bury  the  dead. 

When  bodies  were  cremated  the  ashes  were  care- 
fully gathered  and  placed  in  a  box,  and  the  box 
was  then  deposited  in  a  deadhouse..  Hundreds  of 
these  little  deadhouses  may  yet  be  seen  through- 
out Alaska.  Deposited  with  the  box  of  ashes  were 
many  possessions  of  the  deceased,  such  as  cloth- 
ing, blankets,  tools,  food,  water  and  other  things. 
These  were  for  his  use  in  the  spirit-land. 

According  to  the  belief  of  the  natives,  burning 
the  dead  assured  the  spirit  of  the  deceased  a  warm 
and  comfortable  place  in  the  spirit-land.  As  na- 
tives are  seldom  uncomfortable  from  heat  in  this 
life,  but  often  suffer  from  the  cold,  they  dread 
the  cold  far  more  than  they  do  the  heat.  Hence 
a  seat  near  the  fire  is  the  seat  of  honour  and 
pleasure.  In  the  future  life  their  concern  is  to 
avoid  the  cold  and  to  procure  a  seat  near  the  fire. 
If  burned,  the  spirits  of  the  other  world  detect 
it,  and,  seeing  that  the  dead  has  been  used  to  the 
fire,  give  him  a  seat  where  he  may  be  comfortable. 

The  chief  objection  against  native  cremation  of 
the  dead  was  their  barbarous  incantations  about 


120  EXTINCT  CUSTOMS 

the  funeral  pyre.  But  we  should  remember  that 
this  was  an  expression  of  their  grief.  No  people 
in  the  world  have  keener  anguish  over  the  loss  of 
loved  ones  than  the  natives  of  Alaska.  We  have? 
heard  wailings  from  them  that  would  melt  the 
hardest  heart  to  tears. 

While  there  may  be  one  or  more  cases  of  exist- 
ing polygamy  to-day,  yet  it  may  be  truly  said  that, 
as  a  custom,  it  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  If  indulged 
in  at  all  it  is  in  violation  of  the  public  sentiment 
and  life  of  to-day.  In  former  years  it  was  com- 
monly practised.  All  early  writers  about  the  na- 
tives bear  testimony  to  the  fact,  and  the  testimony 
of  the  natives  corroborates  the  statements  of  the 
historians.  Since  it  is  no  longer  countenanced, 
we  feel  justified  in  classing  it  as  obsolete,  though 
a  case  now  and  then  may  be  found. 

The  cruel  toughening  process  is  now  a  thing  of 
the  past.  In  the  winter  time,  in  the  extreme  cold 
weather,  men  and  boys  would  go  down  to  the 
beach  and,  naked,  jump  into  the  ice-cold  water. 
After  floundering  around  in  the  water,  they  would 
jump  out  and  roll  in  the  snow.  They  would  then 
switch  their  nude  bodies,  or  have  some  one  do  it 
for  them,  until  the  blood  would  all  but  break 
through  the  skin.  Children,  who  would  naturally 
shrink  from  this  cruel  treatment,  were  compelled 
to  endure  it.  Youngsters  were  treated  in  this  way 
to  teach  them  endurance  and  make  them  brave. 

It  was  often  practised  by  their  elders  from  a 
spirit  of  vanity.  One  who  was  with  us  for  eight 
years  as  interpreter,  used  to  tell  us  how  his  uncle 
(he  was  an  orphan)  compelled  him  when  a  mere 
child  to  suffer  this  cruel  treatment.  The  author 
has  seen  youth  and  young  men,  with  a  pair  of 
drawers  as  their  only  garment,  go  into  the  woods, 


INFANTICIDE 

wading  through  two  or  three  feet  of  snow,  and 
bring  out  a  load  of  wood  on  their  bare  backs. 
This  they  did  to  show  what  they  could  endure. 

We  no  longer  hear  of  their  submitting  them- 
selves or  their  children  to  this  cruel  treatment. 
It  was  done,  of  course,  from  a  good  motive,  but 
with  mistaken  judgment.  If  they  had  great 
powers  of  endurance,  then  when  necessity  re- 
quired it  they  would  not  suffer  so  much  as  if  they 
had  no  such  powers.  And  in  those  times  they 
never  knew  what  they  would  be  called  upon  to 
endure. 

Infanticide  is  another  of  their  cruel  practices 
which  has  fallen  into  oblivion.  A  male  child  has 
always  been  a  welcome  addition  to  the  Thlinget 
household.  But  not  so  a  female.  In  earlier  times, 
when  they  came  too  fast,  their  little  lives  were 
strangled.  Twins,  also,  as  they  were  looked  upon 
as  an  evil  omen,  were  disposed  of. 

While  there  may  be  yet  isolated  cases  of  in- 
fanticide before  birth  and  with  children  born  out 
of  wedlock,  yet  as  a  custom  it  has  passed  away. 
When  prevalent  no  one  raised  his  hand  against  it. 
Public  opinion  was  not  opposed  to  it.  To-day  it  is. 

The  common  method  of  putting  little  ones  to 
death  was  to  stuff  their  mouths  with  moss  or 
grass.  This  was  done  by  women,  generally  rela- 
tives of  the  mother.  Babes  were  usually  carried 
to  the  woods  to  be  put  to  death. 

Tattooing  the  body  was  another  of  their  cruel 
customs  which  has  succumbed  to  the  enlightened 
principles  of  truth.  Totemic  designs  were  worked 
in  the  body  and  native  dyes  poured  into  the  punc- 
tures and  abrasions  of  the  skin.  It  was  a  mark 
of  great  endurance  to  submit  to  this  process. 

Tattooing  was  done  more  from  vanity  than  any- 


EXTINCT  CUSTOMS 

thing  else.  It  gratified  their  love  of  adornment 
and  their  boast  of  endurance.  The  Thlinget  who 
could  not  endure  bodily  pain  and  suffering  without 
flinching  and  without  a  groan  was  despised. 

Gambling,  a  vice  which  is  still  prevalent  with 
the  white  people,  and  one  which  had  a  tremendous 
hold  on  the  natives  some  years  ago,  is  now  a  back 
number.  This  used  to  absorb  most  of  their  time 
and  most  of  their  means.  In  some  instances  they 
gambled  away  their  wives  and  even  themselves. 
When  the  latter  was  done  they  became  the  slave 
of  the  one  who  won.  More  than  once  the  writer 
has  seen  circles  of  native  gamblers  seated  on  the 
beach  in  the  open,  gambling  for  the  stakes  shining 
within  the  ring.  It  was  curious  to  hear  their 
weird  singing  and  see  them  beating  with  sticks 
at  the  same  time  on  a  pole  running  horizontally 
between  the  players.  This  was  done  to  divert  the 
attention  of  the  players  on  the  opposite  side  while 
the  gambling  peg  was  dexterously  thrust  under 
the  moss  in  the  ring. 

Was  it  the  Wolf,  the  Bear,  the  Salmon,  the  Keet, 
the  Eagle,  the  Crow,  etc.,  which  was  slipped  under 
the  moss?  This  was  the  problem.  All  eyes  had 
been  eagerly  watching,  but  who  can  tell?  After 
some  deliberation  the  fatal  guess  was  made.  If 
correct,  the  side  of  the  winning  party  sent  up  a 
shout  of  victory  that  was  heard  throughout  the 
village.  If  the  one  guessing  failed,  then  there  was 
high  glee  for  the  opposite  side. 

The  native  gambling  pegs  were  about  five 
inches  long  and  three-eighths  of  an  inch  in  diam- 
eter. They  were  of  uniform  size,  highly  polished, 
and  each  was  marked  differently.  There  were 
usually  seventy-two  in  a  pack.  These  pegs  were 
fine  specimens  of  native  art.  They  were  all  hand- 


GAMBLING  PEGS  123 

made  and  yet  as  true  and  perfect  as  if  turned  by 
a  machine.  Each  was  prettily  decorated  with  na- 
tive colours,  and  each  was  named,  taking,  as  a 
rule,  the  name  of  some  animal.  The  trump,  or 
leading,  stick  of  the  pack  was  called  nawk  (devil 
fish).  The  player  would  skilfully  conceal  this  im- 
portant stick  with  two  or  three  others  in  a  bunch 
of  shredded  cedar  bark  or  moss.  Two  of  these 
bunches  would  be  thrust  in  front  of  the  opponent, 
when  he  would  be  required  to  guess  in  which  bunch 
was  the  nawk  stick.  If  he  guessed  correctly  a 
count  was  given  in  his  favour  and  it  became  his 
turn  to  shuffle.  If  he  failed  he  had  another  trial, 
and  so  on  up  to  a  certain  number  of  failures. 
Usually  the  tenth  failure  lost  him  the  game,  but 
sometimes  it  would  run  to  as  high  as  eighteen. 

Then,  again,  the  party  guessing  would  name 
what  sticks  were  in  the  bunch  of  moss.  The  ones 
he  named  correctly  would  count  so  much  in  his 
favour. 

This  game  was  at  one  time  the  most  popular  of 
gambling  games  with  the  natives. 

Another  similar  game  was  played  with  two  prin- 
cipal sticks,  which  were  short  enough  to  be  con- 
cealed in  the  hand,  and  a  number  of  plain  sticks. 
One  of  the  two  principal  sticks  was  carved  while 
the  other  was  perfectly  plain.  The  players  were 
divided  into  two  parties,  or  opposite  sides,  but 
only  one  player  on  each  side  was  allowed  to  handle 
the  sticks.  This  he  did  very  rapidly  when  the 
leader  opposite  called:  "  Hands  out!  "  He  then 
endeavoured  to  guess  which  hand  held  the  carved 
stick  called  nagon.  If  he  guessed  correctly  his 
side  took  one  of  the  plain  sticks,  known  as  a 
counter;  if  otherwise,  his  side  lost  one.  The  side 
that  succeeded  in  getting  all  of  the  other  side's 


EXTINCT  CUSTOMS 

counters  first  won  the  game  and  took  the  stakes. 
Other  games  of  lesser  interest  were  played,  but 
were  not  so  popular  as  the  above-mentioned 
games.  In  fact,  the  passion  for  gambling,  which 
once  burned  so  fiercely  in  the  native's  breast,  was 
completely  subdued  by  the  influence  of  the  Gospel. 
The  gambling  habit  has  long  since  passed  away; 
and  the  old  gambling  devices  are  seldom  seen. 


xin 

WANING  CUSTOMS 

WE  pass  from  the  obsolete  customs  to  those 
which  still  exist  but  .are  waning.  Witch- 
craft, that  so  long  has  held  terrible  sway 
over  the  natives,  is  one  of  these,  but  will  be  treated 
in  another  connection. 

All  were  once  completely  under  the  spell  of  this 
wretched  superstition.  All  sickness  and  death 
was  attributed  to  it.  Witch-doctors  are  now  few 
as  compared  with  the  number  that  once  thrived, 
and  these  are  largely  discredited.  The  white  man's 
doctor  is  now  consulted  and  the  native  sick  are 
treated  in  our  hospitals.  We  believe  that  witch- 
craft will  soon  be  altogether  a  thing  of  the  past. 

The  old  marriage  system  of  the  Thlingets  is 
giving  way  to  the  Christian  marriage  ceremony, 
but  not  a  few  are  yet  living  together  according  to 
the  old  system. 

Marriages  are  brought  about  among  the  natives 
in  more  ways  than  one.  Sometimes  a  youth  or 
young  man  chooses  a  girl  or  woman  for  himself, 
frequently  scheming  relatives  determine  the 
match ;  sometimes  marriages  are  arranged  accord- 
ing to  the  request  of  the  dying,  sometimes  the 
levirate  custom  regulates  them,  and  occasionally 
headstrong  youth  defy  all  customs  and  marry  as 
they  will.  Girls  seldom  have  any  choice  in  their 
own  marriage,  but  act  in  obedience  to  the  dictates 
of  their  relatives  and  the  rules  of  the  people. 

125 


126  WANING  CUSTOMS 

Often  they  do  not  see  the  men  who  are  designed 
to  become  their  husbands  until  they  are  wedded 
to  them.  There  is  no  such  thing  as  courtship.  If 
a  young  girl  received  the  attentions  of  a  young 
man  as  our  girls  do,  it  would  shock  the  natives 
beyond  measure,  and  would  be  considered  a  terri- 
ble disgrace.  Every  girl  is  carefully  watched  and 
restrained  from  making  any  approaches  to 
men.  Their  law  of  modesty  requires  that  no 
girl  shall  speak  to  a  man,  not  even  to  her  own 
brother. 

When  a  young  man  makes  his  own  selection  of 
a  girl  or  woman  for  a  wife,  he  makes  known  his 
desire  to  his  mother,  or  to  a  maternal  aunt  if  he 
has  no  mother,  or  perhaps  to  his  sister.  He  does 
not  approach  his  sister  directly  but  through  her 
husband.  There  are  no  old  maids  among  the  na- 
tives, nor  do  widows  long  remain  such.  It  is  con- 
sidered a  disgrace  for  a  girl  to  remain  many 
months  without  being  married  after  she  becomes 
a  woman.  Earely  do  they  wait  at  all.  So  sisters 
of  age  usually  have  husbands,  and  their  brothers 
use  these  husbands  as  mediums  of  approach  when 
they  wish  any  favour  from  their  sisters  who  have 
attained  womanhood. 

Having  made  known  his  desire  to  any  one  of 
these  close  relatives,  that  relative  reveals  the  fact 
to  the  other  close  relatives.  If  they  approve  of 
his  choice,  they  interview  the  girl's  people  to  get 
their  consent.  The  girl  is  not  consulted  at  all. 
If  they  are  high-caste  people  there  is  a  great  deal 
of  palavering  about  it  before  it  comes  to  an  issue. 
The  youth's  relatives  (and  only  those  of  his 
mother's  totem  are  considered  such,  his  father 
and  his  father's  people  having  nothing  to  do  with 
it)  set  forth  as  strongly  as  they  know  how  his 


THE  DOWRY  127 

many  good  qualities,  accomplishments,  and  his  an- 
cestral line. 

If  the  girl's  people  (those  of  her  mother's 
totem)  regard  the  proposal  of  the  young  man's 
relatives  favourably,  they  in  turn  set  forth  her 
noble  qualities,  and  accomplishments,  and  an- 
cestral line,  as  strongly  as  they  can;  and  before 
the  palaver  is  over  they  tell  what  they  think  they 
ought  to  have  as  a  dowry.  If  all  are  agreed,  then 
the  young  man  is  brought,  together  with  the  pres- 
ents that  are  to  be  made,  to  the  girl's  home.  He 
and  the  girl  then,  through  the  mutual  understand- 
ing of  their  recognized  relatives,  become  husband 
and  wife.  The  presents  are  given  not  in  the  sense 
of  a  purchase  of  the  girl,  but  as  the  binding  fea- 
ture of  the  contract.  This  is  to  make  the  union 
solid,  and  generally  is  very  effective,  especially 
on  the  girl's  side;  for  if  she  proves  unfaithful 
or  should  run  away  from  her  husband,  her  people 
must  pay  back  to  his  people  what  they  gave  as 
a  dowry,  or  its  equivalent.  This  inclines  them  to 
encourage  and  advise  the  girl  to  be  faithful  and 
to  stand  by  her  husband. 

If  a  man  casts  off  his  wife,  he  is  not  held  ac- 
countable. The  wife  goes  to  her  people  and  little 
or  nothing  is  done  about  it.  It  is  considered  such 
a  disgrace  for  a  wife  to  be  cast  off  by  a  husband 
that  she  will  endure  the  most  brutal  treatment, 
and  sometimes  even  death  itself,  before  she  will 
leave  him. 

If  the  girl's  relatives  do  not  approve  of  her 
marrying  the  young  man  who  desires  her  as  a 
wife,  his  relatives  are  so  informed.  Whether  they 
carry  the  day  or  not  depends  upon  the  determina- 
tion of  the  girl 's  people.  But  usually  their  refusal 
settles  it.- 


128  WANING  CUSTOMS 

The  greatest  barriers  to  marriages  are  differ- 
ences in  caste  and  intriguing  relatives.  No 
Thlinget  parent  wants  his  son  or  daughter  to 
marry  one  of  a  lower  caste,  nor  do  relatives  ap- 
prove of  it.  They  oppose  this  with  all  of  their 
energy,  and  such  opposition  frequently  stands  in 
the  way  of  a  man  who  wishes  to  marry  a  girl. 
Relatives  who  have  planned  to  marry  the  girl  to 
some  one  else  also  block  many  a  man's  matri- 
monial ambition. 

The  relatives  of  the  girl  are  very  desirous,  as 
a  rule,  to  marry  her  to  some  one  on  the  father's 
side  of  the  family.  It  may  be  an  uncle,  a  cousin, 
or  a  grandfather.  The  same  principle  holds  true 
with  the  relatives  of  the  young  man,  who  seek  to 
marry  him  to  some  girl  or  woman  who  is  a  near 
relative  of  his  on  the  father's  side.  It  may  be 
his  cousin,  or  aunt,  or  grandmother.  Such  mar- 
riages are  not  only  considered  very  proper  among 
the  natives,  but  they  more  heartily  desire  them 
than  marriages  of  any  other  connection.  In  choos- 
ing a  husband  for  a  girl,  relatives  consider  the 
young  man's  accomplishments  and  his  family  con- 
nections. The  man's  relatives,  in  choosing  for 
him,  prefer  a  girl  or  woman  who  is  modest,  in- 
dustrious and  has  some  accomplishments  as  a 
basket-maker,  bead-worker,  seamstress  and  house- 
keeper. 

A  dying  wife  sometimes  requests  that  her  hus- 
band marry  a  certain  girl  or  woman  after  she  is 
gone.  The  motive  prompting  such  a  request  is 
usually  the  desire  to  keep  her  personal  effects 
within  her  own  family,  the  native  custom  being 
for  the  relatives  of  the  survivor  to  appropriate  all 
of  the  deceased's  belongings,  whether  husband  or 
wife. 


LEVIRATE  MARRIAGES 

A  dying  request  of  this  nature  is  very  highly 
respected  and  is  usually  carried  out.  In  one  case 
that  came  under  our  notice,  a  wife  died  from  con- 
sumption. Before  her  death  she  mentioned  a 
young  girl  whom  she  wanted  her  husband  to  take 
as  his  wife  after  she  was  dead.  Though  the  girl 
lived  more  than  a  hundred  miles  away,  and  the 
husband  knew  very  little  about  her,  yet  the  dying 
request  of  the  wife  was  carried  out  to  the  letter. 

The  levirate  custom  regulates  many  marriages ; 
that  is,  when  a  brother  dies  some  one  of  his  sur- 
viving brothers  must  take  his  widow  to  wife.  If 
the  deceased  left  no  brother,  then  the  next  closest 
relative  of  his  must  make  the  widow  his  wife.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  the  wife  dies,  then  a  sister  of  the 
deceased,  or  a  close  relative,  must  be  given  to  the 
surviving  husband  for  a  wife.  The  widow  has  the 
right  of  selection  from  any  of  her  deceased  hus- 
band's relatives  and  the  surviving  husband  has 
the  same  right  with  the  relatives  of  his  deceased 
wife. 

It  will  be  seen  that  this  form  of  marriage  among 
the  Thlingets  corresponds  precisely  with  that  of 
the  ancient  Hebrews.  It  is  also  interesting  to 
note  that  there  is  a  correspondence  in  other  re- 
spects between  the  marriage  customs  of  the  two 
peoples ;  for  example,  in  the  dowry,  the  choice  of 
husband  and  wife  by  parents,  etc. 

It  is  very  common  for  the  nephew  of  the  de- 
ceased husband  to  take  his  widow  to  wife,  the 
nephew  being  considered  the  nearest  relation  to 
a  man  next  to  his  brother.  Also  for  the  niece  of 
the  deceased  wife  to  marry  the  widower,  as  the 
niece  is  the  nearest  relative  of  a  woman  next  to 
her  sister. 

In  levirate  marriages  no  presents  are  passed 


130  WANING  CUSTOMS 

from  the  man's  people  to  the  people  of  the  woman 
he  takes  to  wife,  for  this  is  only  making  good  his 
loss. 

The  surviving  husband  has  the  right  even  to 
select  a  married  sister  of  his  deceased  wife.  If 
this  is  done,  she  must  leave  her  husband  and  be- 
come the  widower's  wife.  Or  the  widow  has  the 
right  to  select  even  a  married  brother  of  her  de- 
ceased husband.  And  if  this  is  done,  the  husband 
must  leave  his  wife  and  children  and  become  the 
widow's  husband.  The  writer  is  acquainted  with 
more  cases  than  one  of  this  kind.  A  man  in  our 
community  was  suddenly  killed.  His  widow  se- 
lected one  of  his  married  brothers  who  at  the  time 
was  living  at  Sitka.  He  promptly  left  his  wife 
and  children  and  came  to  live  with  his  brother's 
wife,  and  they  are  now  living  happily  together. 
If  a  brother  should  refuse  to  take  to  wife  his  de- 
ceased brother's  widow  he  would  be  disgraced 
among  his  people. 

If  the  brother  selected  by  a  widow  is  an  old 
man,  a  boy  is  also  given  to  her  to  be  her  husband 
when  the  old  man  dies.  This  system  makes  some 
very  peculiar  matches.  We  see  old  men  married 
to  girls  yet  in  their  teens,  and  old,  wrinkled-faced 
women  married  to  mere  boys. 

Little  need  be  said  about  those  who  take  mar- 
riage into  their  own  hands  in  defiance  of  all  cus- 
tom. They  simply  elect  to  live  together  and  do 
so,  facing  the  scorn  of  theip-  people. 

Child  marriages  are  by  no  means  uncommon. 
Boys  and  girls  are  mated  by  their  relatives,  and 
infants  and  mere  children  are  sometimes  prom- 
ised in  marriage. 

But  few  marriages  are  love-matches,  but  cases 
of  pure  love  are  not  altogether  wanting.  We 


LOVE-MATCHES  131 

knew  of  a  young  man  who  worked  for  a  girl's 
parents  for  years,  like  Jacob  for  Rachel,  for  the 
girl  he  loved.  He  would  kill  deer,  provide  fish, 
hunt  seal,  get  wood,  and  do  anything  he  could  for 
her  parents  for  the  promise  that  he  could  have 
her  at  a  certain  time.  The  girl  loved  him.  The 
parents  wanted  her  to  marry  another  man,  an 
older  and  uglier  fellow.  She  absolutely  refused 
to  have  him,  threatening  to  be  bad  if  she  could  not 
have  the  man  she  wanted.  The  parents  yielded 
on  condition  that  the  youth  of  her  choice  work 
for  them  for  a  period.  This  was  done,  and  at  the 
end  of  the  time  the  youth  took  his  wife. 

The  natives  have  a  different  standard  of  beauty 
from  that  of  the  white  people.  Beauty,  indeed, 
cuts  little  figure  with  them.  The  qualities  that 
count  in  a  girl  are  caste,  then  ability  to  sew  or 
weave,  and  then  modesty,  which  leads  her  to  stay 
at  home  and  never  to  speak  or  look  at  a  man. 
To  test  a  girl 's  modesty  when  she  came  from  her 
little  coop  of  confinement,  some  one  would  shout, 
"  Fire!  Fire!  '  If  she  paid  no  attention  to  the 
cry  and  looked  toward  the  ground,  it  was  con- 
sidered that  she  was  modest  and  that  she  would 
make  a  desirable  wife. 

A  rule  which  is  still  in  full  force,  the  violation 
of  which  means  deep  disgrace  to  the  violator  and 
in  earlier  times  was  punished  with  death,  is  that 
a  man  must  marry  a  woman  outside  of  his  own 
totem  or  totemic  phratry. 

As  soon  as  the  obsequies  for  the  deceased  are 
over  a  feast  follows.  During  the  progress  of  the 
feast  members  of  the  tribe  of  the  deceased  ask 
the  widow  which  of  their  tribe  she  will  take  for 
a  new  husband.  The  one  whom  she  mentions  be- 
comes her  husband. 


WANING  CUSTOMS 

Another  rule  closely  observed  is  that  no  girl 
shall  in  any  wise  propose  marriage  to  a  man.  If 
she  did  she  would  be  held  in  everlasting  disgrace. 
Nor  can  any  young  man  approach  a  girl  on  the 
subject.  As  we  have  already  said,  relatives  ar- 
range matrimonial  matters. 

In  former  years  men  and  women  commonly  took 
each  other  on  trial.  If,  after  having  lived  to- 
gether for  some  weeks  or  months,  they  found  that 
they  liked  each  other  and  were  satisfied  to  live  to- 
gether permanently,  then,  by  a  mutual  understand- 
ing, they  became  husband  and  wife  for  good.  Only 
a  few  years  ago  we  found  a  man  and  woman  living 
together  in  this  style.  When  asked  if  they  were 
married,  he  said  no,  but  that  they  were  just  living 
together  with  the  view  of  marrying  providing 
they  liked  each  other.  We  did  not  hesitate  to  tell 
them  that  they  were  not  living  right  according  to 
the  white  man's  standard  of  morality. 

The  old  custom  of  Thlinget  marriage  is,  as  we 
have  said,  waning,  and  to-day  the  Christian  mar- 
riage ceremony  is  largely  invoked.  The  author 
has  performed  the  Christian  ceremony  for  scores 
of  them. 

Many  white  men  have  taken  native  women  for 
wives  and  in  most  instances  have  married  them 
according  to  law.  Some  of  these  marriages  have 
been  very  happy,  while  others  have  been  anything 
but  happy.  Half-breed  children  are  very  common 
in  Alaska,  many  being  legitimate. 

Not  a  few  are  now  holding  on  to  the  property 
when  either  the  husband  or  the  wife  dies.  In 
nearly  every  instance,  however,  they  have  to  fight 
for  it,  as  the  relatives  of  the  deceased  claim  it. 
The  writer  has  more  than  once  been  called  upon 
to  protect  property  rights  for  the  widow  or  the 


CONFINING  AT  WOMANHOOD       133 

widower.  It  works  great  hardship  on  poor  na- 
tives when  widows  and  orphaned  children  are 
stripped  entirely  of  their  worldly  effects  and  then 
thrown  on  the  cold  charity  of  relatives.  Some- 
times they  fare  all  right,  but  frequently  they 
suffer  from  this  species  of  spoliation. 

For  high-caste  natives,  especially  for  chiefs,  the 
erection  of  totem  poles  was  at  one  time  a  common 
custom.  Occasionally  one  is  erected  in  this  day, 
but  this  will  soon  be  reckoned  as  one  of  the  cus- 
toms of  the  past. 

One  of  the  most  curious  waning  customs  is  that 
of  confining  girls  when  approaching  womanhood 
in  some  cramped,  coop-like  place.  Usually  this 
little  jail  is  built  by  the  house  with  a  hole  for 
entrance  made  in  the  side  of  the  house.  It  is  very 
primitive  in  nature,  made  out  of  rough  slabs  or 
even  of  boughs.  In  one  family  known  to  the 
writer,  girls  were  confined  in  a  pit  under  the  floor 
of  the  house,  which  was  entered  by  a  trapdoor. 
All  light  is  excluded  except  what  may  find  its  way 
through  cracks  and  through  the  door  when  opened. 
In  these  little  dungeons,  not  high  enough  for  them 
to  stand  in  nor  long  enough  for  them  to  stretch 
out  in,  girls  are  confined  anywhere  from  four 
months  to  one  year.  When  they  come  out  they 
are  fairly  bleached,  and  the  great  wonder  is  that 
they  ever  live  to  come  out  at  all.  The  places 
are  usually  dirty  and  dank,  without  light  and 
ventilation,  and  their  inmates  are  deprived  of  all 
means  of  exercise  and  fed  on  a  very  limited  diet. 
Happily  this  custom,  while  yet  largely  observed, 
has  not  the  universal  sway  that  it  once  had,  and 
not  a  few  native  girls  who  come  to  womanhood 
to-day  are  strangers  to  this  ordeal. 

This  practice  advertises  to  the  community  that 


WANING  CUSTOMS 

the  girl  so  confined  is  of  marriageable  age  and  will 
soon  be  ready  for  matrimonial  orders.  Indeed, 
she  is  not  long  out  of  her  little  pen  before  she  is 
a  bride.  In  most  cases  she  is  spoken  for  before 
she  leaves  her  solitary  confinement,  and  she  steps 
out  of  her  little  prison  only  to  step  into  matri- 
mony. The  Thlingets  may  not  go  all  the  way  with 
Josh  Billings  who  says,  "  Marry  early  and  often," 
but  they  do  go  at  least  half-way  with  him;  for  they 
believe  in  early  marriages.  For  them,  I  am  in- 
clined to  think  that  this  is  good  policy.  Their 
young  people  settle  down,  and  their  girls  have  a 
protector  before  they  go  astray  and  fall  down. 


XIV 

PKESENT-DAY  CUSTOMS 

THE  feast  is  by  far  the  most  popular  of  all 
customs,  and  the  one  to  which  they  cling 
most  tenaciously.  It  will  probably  be  the 
last  to  pass  away. 

The  "potlatch"  (the  Chinook  term  for  free 
gift)  and  the  common,  almost  perennial,  feast  of 
the  natives  are  two  different  affairs.  There  is 
a  feast  held  in  connection  with  the  potlatch,  but 
its  prime  feature  is  the  giving  away  hundreds  of 
dollars  worth  of  goods  by  some  man  who  wishes 
to  establish  a  name  for  himself  among  the  people. 

But  potlatches  are  few  as  compared  with  the 
total  number  of  feasts.  They  are  held  to  honour 
the  dead,  to  benefit  the  dead,  to  pay  off  obligations, 
to  wipe  out  stains  on  one's  reputation,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  dead,  for  self  and  family  glori- 
fication, for  sociability.  So  desirous  of  feasting 
are  they  that  sometimes  they  welcome  a  death,  as 
it  affords  them  an  excuse  to  observe  this  favourite 
custom.  Where  the  sick  have  been  expected  to  die 
and  then  have  recovered,  natives  have  been  known 
to  be  greatly  disappointed  and  to  regret  the  re- 
covery, as  the  feast  they  anticipated  in  case  of 
death  did  not  come  off.  For  this  reason  some 
are  not  urgent  in  employing  a  doctor  when  rela- 
tives are  sick. 

A  feast  must  be  held  whenever  a  Thlinget  dies, 
whether  man,  woman  or  child.  It  cannot  be 

135 


136  PRESENT-DAY  CUSTOMS 

omitted,  as  it  would  be  regarded  as  a  woeful  lack 
of  respect  to  the  dead  and  would  bring  severe  re- 
proach on  the  family. 

Besides  honouring  the  dead,  the  festival  has  a 
superstitious  significance.  It  is  believed  that  in 
some  way  it  actually  benefits  the  dead.  For  this 
reason,  while  the  feasting  is  in  progress  food  is 
thrown  into  the  fire,  and  the  name  of  the  dead  in 
whose  honour  the  feast  is  held  is  called  out.  The 
fire-spirit  in  some  way  conveys  the  food  to  him  in 
the  spirit-land.  If  the  feast  were  omitted,  or  a 
poor  feast  given,  the  spirit  of  the  dead  would  feel 
badly  about  it  and  reproach  relatives  so  remiss  in 
their  duty.  If  a  good  feast  is  given,  then  the  souls 
abiding  in  the  spirit-land  will  treat  the  departed 
one  with  all  due  respect,  as  they 'observe  how  he 
is  regarded  by  his  people  left  behind. 

At  this  feast  all  obligations  incurred  in  the  cre- 
mation or  burial  of  the  dead  are  met  and  extrava- 
gantly paid  for.  The  higher  the  rank  or  caste  of 
the  deceased,  the  more  is  paid  for  every  service. 
The  natives  are  not  satisfied  unless  much  money 
is  spent,  but  everything  done  for  the  dead  is  by 
those  of  another  totem  than  that  of  the  deceased. 
The  slightest  service  must  be  well  paid  for,  and 
anything  given  must  be  returned  in  value  several 
fold.  These  are  obligations  which  no  Thlinget 
would  think  of  disregarding,  as  he  would  be  put 
to  everlasting  shame. 

The  size  and  expense  of  the  feast  depends  alto- 
gether upon  the  standing  and  family  connections 
of  the  deceased.  If  one  of  importance  and  a  high 
caste  dies,  nothing  short  of  a  great  feast  will  do. 
Every  member  of  the  tribe  of  the  deceased  con- 
tributes what  he  can  toward  it,  and  there  is  no 
giving  grudgingly,  but  cheerfully. 


COMMEMORATIVE  FEASTS  137 

The  guests  of  the  feast  must  be  those  of  a  dif- 
ferent totem  from  that  of  the  ones  giving  the 
feast.  Members  of  the  totem  belonging  to  those 
giving  the  feast  may  attend  and  look  on,  but  they 
cannot  receive  anything. 

A  feast  is  usually  held  immediately  after  the 
death  of  a  person,  but  not  always.  Death  may 
occur  when  it  is  inconvenient  for  the  friends  of 
the  deceased  to  give  one  at  once.  They  may  be 
too  poor,  or  it  may  be  in  the  summer  time  when 
the  people  are  scattered.  But  as  soon  as  the  rela- 
tives of  the  dead  can  accumulate  the  means  and 
the  people  are  back  in  the  village,  then  the  cele- 
bration in  honour  of  the  memory  of  the  dead  must 
be  given. 

Frequently  a  light  feast  is  given  by  the  fam- 
ily right  after  the  obsequies,  and  in  due  time  a 
big  one  follows. 

After  a  period  of  two  or  more  years  another 
feast  may  be  given  in  honour  of  the  same  person. 
This  is  the  commemorative  feast,  and  to  all  in- 
tents and  purposes  is  the  same  as  the  other. 

As  soon  as  convenient  after  the  burial  (or  cre- 
mation) of  the  body  a  grave  fence  (formerly  a 
deadhouse)  is  erected.  This  event  calls  for  a 
feast,  given  primarily  to  pay  off  those  who  had 
any  hand  in  erecting  it.  In  course  of  time  a  suita- 
ble monument  is  set  up  in  memory  of  the  dead. 
This  again  calls  for  a  feast,  at  which  those  who 
assisted  in  setting  it  up  are  paid  for  their  services. 

The  completion  of  certain  masks  used  by  chiefs 
in  dancing,  the  building  of  a  canoe,  the  erection 
of  a  totem,  and  of  a  house,  calls  for  a  feast,  the 
primary  purpose  being  to  pay  those  who  did  the 
work. 

These  items  are  tribal  property,  and  all  tribal 


138  PRESENT-DAY  CUSTOMS 

property  must  be  made,  built  or  erected  by  those 
of  another  tribe  than  the  one  owning  them. 

This  is  the  process  of  Thlinget  settlement. 
They  are  perfectly  satisfied  with  this  method, 
though  they  must  wait  months  or  even  years  be- 
fore a  feast  can  be  given  and  a  settlement  ef- 
fected. While  they  do  not  keep  books,  yet  every- 
one remembers  accurately  what  is  due  him  until 
he  has  been  paid,  no  matter  how  long  the  settle- 
ment is  put  off.  The  women,  especially,  keep  tab 
on  every  one  under  any  obligations  to  their 
families. 

It  often  happens  that  when  a  man  completes 
his  house  he  has  no  money  with  which  to  make 
a  feast  and  meet  his  obligations.  His  creditors 
are  content  to  wait  until  such  time  as  he  can 
give  it. 

This  system  has  made  them  poor  debtors  so 
far  as  the  white  man  is  concerned.  To  delay  to 
pay  an  honest  debt  to  the  white  man  seems  noth- 
ing to  them.  The  truth  is  that  too  many  of  them 
are  unscrupulous  in  this  respect,  and  will  not  pay 
their  debts  to  a  white  man  if  they  can  get  out  of 
it.  They  cannot  very  well  shirk  this  duty  among 
themselves,  as  every  debtor  is  hounded  until  he 
or  his  tribe  pays. 

The  events  which  call  for  feasting  for  self  and 
family  glorification  are  the  erection  of  totem 
poles,  piercing  the  ears  and  nose  for  rings,  nam- 
ing a  child,  tattooing  the  person,  and  when  a  girl 
becomes  a  woman.  The  feast  for  any  of  these 
occasions  proclaims  to  the  community  the  high 
standing  of  the  one  giving  it  and  his  family.  So 
the  Thlinget  aristocrats  have  their  way  of  pub- 
lishing to  the  world  their  social  status  as  well  as 
those  of  Gotham. 


OTHER  FEASTS  139 

Feasts  are  sometimes  given  to  whitewash  a  dis- 
reputable character.  If  a  man  has  disgraced  him- 
self in  the  eyes  of  his  people,  he  may  give  a  gen- 
erous feast,  and  no  one  after  that  is  allowed  to 
mention  or  talk  about  his  dishonourable  conduct. 
Giving  a  feast  wipes  out  the  stain,  and  the  sinner 
may  hold  his  head  as  high  as  ever,  knowing  that 
he  is  not  talked  about  as  he  was  before  he  gave 
the  feast,  as  that  put  a  quietus  on  gossip. 

In  the  settlement  of  all  feuds,  insults,  serious 
quarrels  and  the  cutting  of  a  child,  feasts  must  be 
given.  When  a  child  has  been  cut  the  parents 
believe  the  scar  does  not  look  so  bad  as  it  would 
if  no  feast  had  been  given.  This  is  a  wonderful 
balm  to  the  wounded  sensibilities  of  the  Thlinget. 

The  death  of  a  chief,  shaman  or  very  high-caste 
man  calls  for  a  very  large  and  expensive  feast. 
It  is  attended  by  men,  women  and  children.  Gen- 
erally the  room  in  which  it  is  held  is  one  solid 
mass  of  humanity.  In  some  feasts  they  squat  on 
the  floor  in  family  groups.  There  is  one  large 
bowl  to  the  group,  generally  a  wash-bowl,  which 
may  hold  anything  in  the  nature  of  liquid  food,  a 
stew,  or  boiled  meats,  or  fish.  All  in  the  group 
help  themselves  from  this  common  bowl  with  a 
spoon  or  fingers.  Food  like  pilot  bread,  crackers, 
apples,  etc.,  is  dumped  on  a  cloth  on  the  floor  or 
held  in  the  lap.  The  head  of  the  family  circle 
takes  with  her  to  the  feast  a  flour  sack  or  pillow 
slip.  After  all  have  eaten  what  they  can  they 
put  what  is  left  into  this  sack  and  carry  it  home. 
Such  is  the  generosity  at  these  feasts  that  the 
guests  cannot  begin  to  consume  all  the  food  that 
is  distributed.  Liquid  food,  such  as  oils  and  ber- 
ries in  oil,  they  carry  home  in  their  bowls  or 
kettles. 


140  PRESENT-DAY  CUSTOMS 

In  some  feasts  the  people  are  seated  in  di- 
visions. This  is  especially  true  when  dancing  is 
held  in  connection  with  them.  During  their  prog- 
ress, in  many  instances,  speech-making  is  indulged 
in  and  there  is  much  merriment.  On  these  oc- 
casions legends  are  rehearsed  and  exploits  re- 
counted. By  the  time  a  Thlinget  becomes  a  man 
he  has  heard  the  legends  of  his  people  over  and 
over  again. 

Fasting  may  precede  feasting — not  to  enable 
them  to  eat  more,  but  to  bring  good  luck  to  all 
who  partake  of  the  feast.  The  Thlinget 's  super- 
stition leads  him  to  believe  that  there  are  many 
things  he  can  do  which  will  insure  him  good  luck. 
Many  white  people  are  not  far  behind  him  in 
this. 

It  is  a  common  practice  for  them  to  say  one 
thing  and  mean  another.  The  Thlingets  are  ex- 
perts in  handling  innuendo,  and  no  less  so  in  per- 
ceiving the  hit  that  is  conveyed  in  the  same.  In 
truth  they  are  a  little  too  sensitive  at  times,  taking 
offence  where  none  is  intended.  This  has  fre- 
quently been  the  case  in  religious  services  con- 
ducted by  missionaries.  On  one  occasion  a  lame 
native  got  up  in  the  midst  of  a  service  and  left 
the  church,  offended  because  the  preacher  read 
in  the  Bible  about  the  "  lame  and  the  halt."  He 
said  it  was  calling  attention  to  his  infirmity  and 
he  resented  it. 

The  potlatch  is  given  primarily  for  self-glori- 
fication. The  man  who  gives  one  receives  honour 
and  public  esteem  for  himself  and  his  family  in 
proportion  to  the  amount  he  gives  away.  He  is 
the  most  renowned  who  has  given  the  greatest  or 
the  greatest  number  of  potlatches.  A  man  who 
is  ambitious  to  give  a  potlatch  will  save  and  stint 


AMOUNT  GIVEN  AWAY  141 

for  years,  even  to  the  extent  of  denying  himself 
and  family  the  necessities  of  life,  that  he  may  give 
as  big  a  one  as  possible.  The  members  of  his 
family  contribute  their  quota  and  endure  the  pri- 
vations it  entails.  From  two  to  five  thousand  dol- 
lars worth  of  goods  are  sometimes  given  away  in 
a  single  potlatch.  Men  absolutely  impoverish 
themselves  and  families,  but  their  poverty  is  pa- 
tiently endured  for  the  name  that  has  been  estab- 
lished. Henceforth  the  man  is  an  honoured  mem- 
ber of  the  community,  however  low  he  was  before 
he  gave  the  potlatch.  He  and  his  will  be  given 
a  seat  of  honour  in  all  public  functions  and  a 
liberal  share  of  what  is  distributed  in  every  feast 
to  which  they  are  invited. 

Feasting  and  dancing  are  important  features  of 
the  event  and  are  never  omitted. 

Invitations  to  attend  a  potlatch  are  sent  by 
special  messengers  long  before  the  affair  is  to 
come  off ;  sometimes  the  people  know  of  it  months 
or  even  years  before  it  takes  place.  Men,  women 
and  children  attend,  as  at  all  their  feasts.  Invita- 
tions are  sent  to  the  people  of  distant  villages  and 
to  those  of  a  different  phratry  from  the  one  to 
which  the  man  giving  the  potlatch  belongs.  Those 
of  the  great  man's  totem  may  attend,  but  they 
cannot  receive  any  of  the  gifts  that  are  dis- 
tributed. The  wife  of  any  man  or  the  husband  of 
any  woman  who  is  of  the  same  totem  as  the  one 
giving  the  potlatch  may  and  does  receive  gifts, 
as  the  totem  is  different  from  that  of  the  native 
philanthropist. 

When  the  important  day  comes,  the  village  is  a 
whirl  of  intense  excitement.  The  honoured  guests, 
two  hundred  or  more  in  number,  are  sighted  as 
they  approach  in  their  canoes.  Flags  wave  from 


PRESENT-DAY  CUSTOMS 

the  prow  and  stern  of  every  canoe  and  on  the 
shore.  Before  a  canoe  of  the  happy  fleet  touches 
the  strand,  they  are  drawn  up  in  peaceful  array 
to  hear  words  of  welcome  from  the  great  chief. 
After  the  response  from  the  spokesman  of  the  in- 
coming guests,  they  all  draw  to  the  shore  and  their 
hospitable  friends  receive  them  to  their  homes. 

For  the  next  week  or  ten  days  things  are  mov- 
ing in  this  village.  Every  day  and  night  feasting 
and  dancing  engage  and  thrill  the  merry-makers. 
The  great  tribal  heirlooms  are  brought  out  and 
totemic  emblems  are  profusely  displayed  on 
paraphernalia  of  every  description.  Faces  are 
painted  with  stripes  betokening  the  totem  of  the 
individual  wearing  them.  Now  we  see  a  Crow, 
now  an  Eagle,  now  a  Bear,  now  a  Frog.  What 
gorgeous  costumes  some  wear!  What  ludicrous 
ones  have  others !  Here  comes  a  bear !  But  no ; 
it  is  only  a  man  in  a  bear's  skin.  Look  at  that 
mammoth  crow !  But  it  is  not  a  real  crow.  It  is 
only  a  man  under  a  great  mask  to  represent  the 
doleful  bird.  The  dull,  monotonous  beat  of  the 
drum  is  frequently  heard — the  only  object  resem- 
bling a  musical  instrument  used  in  the  potlatch; 
doleful  as  it  is,  it  excites  the  natives  who  hear  it. 
The  communal  house  where  the  great  potlatch  is 
given  is  thronged  and  is  the  scene  of  varied  ac- 
tivities. The  dancers  take  their  places,  and  after 
an  appointed  spokesman  has  made  some  appro- 
priate remarks,  dancing  begins.  After  this  set 
has  danced  an  hour  or  more,  a  fresh  set  from 
another  tribe  takes  the  floor.  Feasting  is  inter- 
spersed and  the  distribution  of  the  goods  to  be 
given  away  is  made.  Great  bundles  of  blankets, 
prints,  muslin  and  edibles  of  various  kinds  are 
given  out.  While  many  of  the  blankets  are  given 


PERIOD  OF  TIME  COVERED  143 

away  whole,  others  are  torn  into  quarters  and 
these  fractions  are  bestowed.  The  prints  and 
bolts  of  muslin  are  given  out  by  the  yard,  the 
edibles  in  quantity.  Every  man  receives  accord- 
ing to  his  social  standing.  While  the  dancing  is 
in  progress  various  songs  peculiar  to  the  tribe  of 
the  one  giving  the  potlatch  are  sung,  or,  more 
correctly  speaking,  chanted. 

The  period  covered  in  giving  a  potlatch  varies 
according  to  the  amount  of  goods  which  have  been 
accumulated  to  be  given  away.  It  may  be  from 
one  to  six  days.  It  often  happens,  however,  that 
several  are  ready  to  give  potlatches  in  succession, 
and  so  they  run  along  without  a  break  for  two  or 
three  weeks. 

The  potlatch  is  conducted  according  to  well- 
defined  rules  laid  down  by  custom,  and  no  de- 
parture from  these  rules  is  tolerated. 

Dancing. — While  dancing  is  usually  held  in  con- 
nection with  feasting  and  potlatching,  yet  we  need 
to  distinguish  it  from  these.  Feasts  are  often  held 
without  dancing  and  dancing  without  feasting. 

The  native  dance  is  very  different  from  the 
white  man's.  It  is  practically  a  charade,  an  imi- 
tation, or  representation,  of  the  chief  character- 
istics of  some  totemic  animal,  as  the  bear,  crow 
or  whale. 

There  are  several  different  dances  and  each  is 
known  by  its  own  name,  and  has  its  own  particular 
features.  Among  the  more  important  ones  are 
the  War  Dance,  the  Peace  Dance,  the  Ptarmigan 
Dance,  the  Tsimpshean  Dance  and  the  Stick 
Dance. 

The  dancers  are  divided  into  bands,  each  from 
some  distinctive  tribe.  Only  one  band  dances  at 
a  time,  and  when  they  have  played  their  part  they 


144  PRESENT-DAY  CUSTOMS 

give  way  to  one  from  another  tribe.  They  dance 
in  rivalry  and  frequently  engender  envy,  jeal- 
ousy, contention  and  strife.  Each  side  watches 
carefully  its  opponents  and  notices  and  remem- 
bers the  slightest  mistake  made  while  dancing, 
or  any  remark  which  they  can  construe  as  a  slur. 
Anything  which  can  be  considered  a  reflection  on 
dancing  or  persons  is  eagerly  seized  upon  and 
made  the  basis  of  a  quarrel. 

While  dancing,  the  participants  stand  close  to- 
gether and  scarcely  move  out  of  their  tracks. 
They  are  surrounded,  as  a  rule,  by  a  large  body  of 
spectators,  who  confine  them  in  a  positive  area. 
The  dancing  really  consists  of  rhythmic  move- 
ments of  the  hands,  arms,  head  and  entire  body 
above  the  waist.  To  the  white  spectator,  some  of 
these  motions  are  extremely  ludicrous  and 
laughter-provoking ;  but  to  the  native  it  is  serious 
business  and  he  wears  a  sober  countenance 
through  it  all.  Time  is  measured  by  the  beat  of 
the  drum — now  soft,  now  loud,  now  slow  and  now 
rapid,  and  by  the  incessant  chant  of  females  from 
start  to  finish.  All  movements  are  in  harmony 
with  the  time  thus  measured. 

The  dance  is  highly  spectacular  and  dramatic. 
Striking  and  singular  costumes  are  worn,  some 
of  which  are  highly  valued.  Tribal  heirlooms  in 
the  way  of  wooden  hats,  masks,  ear-drops,  head- 
gear, robes,  batons,  etc.,  which  have  been  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation,  are  much 
in  evidence.  The  participants  are  men,  women 
and  children.  Their  faces  are  streaked  with  paint, 
red  or  black,  rings  are  in  their  noses  and  ear- 
drops in  their  ears.  Some  of  the  leading  actors 
wear  headpieces  with  flexible  projections  six  or 
eight  inches  long  sticking  out  of  the  top.  These 


BIG  DANCE  AT  ANGOON  145 

prongs  are  filled  between  with  eagle's  down,  and 
every  once  in  awhile  during  the  dance  the  proud 
wearer  of  this  peculiar  headgear  gives  his  head  a 
terrific  shake,  sending  the  down  flying  through 
the  air  like  a  snowstorm.  Thus,  all  tricked  out 
in  their  various  trappings  and  finery,  they  dance 
to  their  hearts'  content.  One  dance  often  occu- 
pies hours. 

The  writer  has  witnessed  a  number  of  native 
dances.  The  largest,  most  spectacular  and  most 
significant  of  these  was  at  a  place  called  Angoon, 
a  village  belonging  to  the  famous  Hootz-na-hoos. 
On  this  occasion  bands  from  the  Hootz-na-hoos 
and  from  some  of  the  leading  tribes  of  Sitka  per- 
formed. The  dance,  which  was  held  in  connection 
with  a  big  potlatch,  took  several  days,  and  the 
Sitka  bands  walked  off  with  the  honours  and  with 
a  cargo  of  the  spoils  from  the  potlatch.  The  star 
dancer  of  the  Sitkans,  however,  lost  her  heart  to 
one  of  the  young  lords  of  the  Hootz-na-hoos  and 
she  became  his  wife.  So  the  Hootz-na-hoos  had 
at  least  some  compensation  for  their  lavish  enter- 
tainment of  the  Sitkans.  This  big  dance  was  car- 
ried through  in  a  harmonious  spirit,  and  was  such 
as  no  white  man  will  probably  ever  look  upon 
again. 

Other  minor  prevalent  customs  require  only 
brief  reference. 

The  absurd  custom  of  brothers  and  sisters  (as 
soon  as  the  latter  attain  to  womanhood),  the 
mother-in-law  and  son-in-law,  males  and  females 
of  the  same  totem,  refraining  from  speaking  to 
each  other,  still  finds  favour  with  many.  The 
writer  has  known  sisters  who,  on  their  return  to 
Alaska,  after  being  away  to  school  in  the  States, 
could  not  get  their  uneducated  brothers  to  speak 


146  PRESENT-DAY  CUSTOMS 

to  them.  A  nephew,  who  had  been  educated  in 
one  of  our  schools,  made  repeated  efforts  to  get 
his  aunt  to  speak  to  him  while  on  a  long  journey, 
but  failed.  The  untutored  aunt  would  not  con- 
descend to  speak  to  her  nephew,  as  it  was  con- 
trary to  her  notions  of  womanly  modesty  and 
ethics.  It  is  considered  improper  for  a  brother 
and  sister  to  sit  in  the  same  room  if  no  others 
are  there.  AL  brother  refused  to  enter  the  church 
until  the  arrival  of  others  because  his  sister  was 
the  only  one  inside.  A  brother  may  not  make  a 
present  to  his  married  sister,  but  may  to  her  hus- 
band. It  is  considered  highly  improper  for  a 
brother  to  give  his  married  sister  anything. 

The  Thlingets  would  sooner  sustain  great  per- 
sonal loss  than  face  the  opprobrium  which  would 
be  heaped  upon  them  for  the  violation  of  any 
popular  custom.  Public  scorn  is  the  most  dreaded 
thing  imaginable  to  them.  And  nothing  invites  it 
like  the  violation  of  their  customs. 


XV 
THE  DISPOSITION  OF  THE  DEAD 

NO  event  with  the  Thlingets  involves  so  much 
as  death.  It  sets  many  curious  customs  in 
motion,  all  being  dependent  on  the  rank  and 
class  of  the  deceased.  If  a  chief,  great  lamenta- 
tion is  heard  from  the  entire  tribe.  As  soon  as 
he  expires  messengers  are  sent  all  over  the  coun- 
try to  announce  his  death  to  his  tribal  relations. 
No  matter  how  far  away  they  may  be  at  the  time, 
no  disposition  is  made  of  the  body  until  they  ar- 
rive. It  lies  in  state,  clothed  in  the  very  best  of 
garments.  The  most  costly  blankets  and  robes  of 
his  tribe  are  brought  out,  wrapped  around  and 
thrown  over  him.  The  old  tribal  heirlooms  are 
placed  on  top  of  his  coffin.  His  weapons  of  war- 
fare, the  instruments  he  used  in  hunting,  and 
house-totems  are  placed  beside  him.  In  the  days 
of  cremation  his  totemic  marks  were  painted  in 
red  on  his  face.  These  things  reveal  to  any  who 
enter  the  house  the  high  standing  and  connections 
of  the  man  in  life. 

The  body  properly  placed  in  state,  the  widow 
takes  her  place  on  the  floor  beside  the  body,,  not 
to  leave  the  spot  until  the  remains  are  removed 
for  burial.  Her  robe  is  a  coarse  blanket,  a  token 
of  bereavement.  Most  of  the  time  she  lies 
hunched  up,  and  as  silent  as  the  corpse  beside 
her.  Her  hair  is  shorn  and  her  face  painted  black 
all  over,  in  token  of  mourning.  Hired  mourners 

147 


148      THE  DISPOSITION  OF  THE  DEAD 

take  their  places  also  beside  the  remains.  All 
mourners  must  be  of  an  opposite  tribe  from  that 
of  the  deceased. 

These  particulars  properly  carried  out,  atten- 
tion is  turned  toward  collecting  things  for  the 
great  feast  which  must  follow.  The  first  step 
toward  this  is  to  collect  all  the  money  possible 
from  the  members  of  the  dead  man's  tribe.  All 
are  loyal  in  giving  and  no  trouble  is  had  in  raising 
the  money  needed  for  the  feast.  It  would  be  great 
shame  to  one  not  to  give.  The  stigma  would  cling 
to  him  for  a  long  time. 

Boxes  of  pilot  bread,  apples,  canned  goods  and 
other  foods  are  purchased,  and  to  these  are  added 
home  food  products  such  as  dried  fish,  fish  oil  and 
various  kinds  of  berries  preserved  in  fish  oil. 

While  the  food  is  being  collected  for  the  feast 
by  some,  others  are  busy  digging  the  grave  which, 
in  the  case  of  the  burial  of  a  chief,  must  be  lined 
with  suitable  lumber. 

As  soon  as  the  distant  relatives  of  the  deceased 
arrive,  the  officiating  missionary  is  sent  for,  if  a 
Christian  service  is  to  be  held  in  the  home.  Fre- 
quently funeral  services  are  held  in  the  church. 
The  ceremony  over  at  the  home  or  the  church, 
hired  pallbearers  convey  the  casket  to  the  hearse 
or  to  the  burial  ground.  In  these  days  a  band  of 
music  often  plays  dirges  and  funeral  marches  as 
the  procession  moves  along.  Women  have  gath- 
ered up  all  the  articles  intended  to  be  buried 
with  the  body,  and  taken  them  to  the  grave.  The 
brief  ceremony  there  being  over,  the  mourners 
sit  with  their  backs  to  the  grave  and  give  vent  to 
real  or  assumed  grief. 

Often  the  whole  ceremony  is  delayed  for  the 
men  to  enlarge  the  grave  to  accommodate  the 


DRESSING  THE  DYING  FOR  BURIAL  149 

coffin  or  while  they  make  the  box  for  it.  The 
grave-diggers  are  so  averse  to  throwing  one 
shovelful  of  earth  more  than  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  the  hole  is  usually  too  small  for  the 
coffin  and  the  grave  must  be  enlarged. 

Articles  of  clothing  and  bedding  (and  if  for  a 
child,  playthings),  and  always  a  vessel  of  water, 
are  buried  beside  the  coffin.  Sewing-machines, 
clocks,  guns  and  various  other  articles  such  as 
were  used  and  prized  in  life  are  often  deposited 
on  the  grave. 

The  funeral  over,  the  guests  repair  to  the  house 
where  the  all-important  feast  is  to  be  given.  This 
has  a  threefold  purpose :  to  honour  the  memory  of 
the  dead,  to  feed  his  spirit  as  it  travels  to  the 
spirit-land  and  to  pay  off  all  who  have  any  claim 
on  the  family  of  the  deceased  for  any  services 
rendered  in  their  bereavement. 

As  the  dying  must  be  dressed  for  burial  before 
life  has  departed  from  the  body,  all  who  assisted 
in  that  put  in  a  claim.  The  natives  think  it  is 
terrible  if  the  dying  are  not  dressed  for  the  tomb 
before  life  leaves  the  body.  This  is  to  avoid  touch- 
ing the  dead,  of  which  they  have  a  superstitious 
fear.  We  have  seen  men  with  their  burial  clothes 
on  two  or  three  days  before  death.  It  does  not 
disturb  the  mind  of  a  dying  native  thus  to  dress 
him,  or  even  to  bring  his  coffin  into  his  presence 
before  he  passes  away.  In  fact  most  of  them 
prefer  to  see  these  things  before  they  die.  They 
have  no  fear  of  death,  and  most  of  them  face  it 
as  calmly  as  if  lying  down  to  sleep. 

All  who  contributed  anything,  and  the  pall- 
bearers, coffin-box  builders,  grave-diggers,  etc., 
must  be  liberally  remunerated. 

By  the  time  the  various  claims  and  the  other 


150      THE  DISPOSITION  OF  THE  DEAD 

expenses  have  been  met  two  or  three  hundred 
dollars  have  been  swallowed  up,  but  every  penny 
of  this  is  cheerfully  paid,  as  it  would  be  a  deep 
disgrace  to  refuse  any  of  these  claims.  But  the 
expenses  connected  with  the  dead  do  not  end  here. 
As  soon  as  possible  a  grave  fence  and  a  tombstone 
must  be  erected.  These  must  be  as  good  as  money 
can  buy.  Often  expensive  monuments  are  bought. 
They  must  be  conveyed  to  the  burial  ground  and 
set  up  by  those  of  an  opposite  tribe  from  that  of 
the  dead.  This  requires  a  feast  when  those  who 
erected  them  are  paid. 

The  disposition  of  the  bodies  of  those  not  so 
high  in  rank  as  chiefs,  and  of  the  common  people 
other  than  slaves  (whose  bodies  were  cast  into 
the  sea),  is  similar  to  that  of  chiefs,  only  not  so 
imposing  and  expensive.  But  no  matter  how  poor 
a  family,  they  strain  every  point  to  give  their  dead 
expensive  burial. 

In  the  days  of  cremation,  the  ashes,  and  the 
bones  of  the  dead  not  completely  burned,  were 
carefully  collected,  put  into  a  sack  made  of  cloth, 
and  the  sack  deposited  in  a  box  which  was  kept 
in  the  family  deadhouse.  The  bones  of  each  were 
distinguished  from  the  others  by  the  colour  of  the 
sacks. 

The  Thlingets  are  especially  fond  of  giving 
feasts  for  the  dead.  They  will  even  exhume  bodies 
and  bones  to  bury  them  in  some  other  spot  in 
order  to  have  an  excuse  for  such  feasting.  In 
one  instance  two  relatives  had  a  serious  quarrel 
as  to  which  one  should  have  the  privilege  of  taking 
the  bones  of  a  deceased  relative  from  a  deadhouse 
to  bury  them.  One  of  them  became  so  angered 
that  he  took  the  bones  and  scattered  them  in  the 
bushes.  The  members  of  an  opposite  totem  had 


PECULIAR  CUSTOMS  AT  BURIAL       151 

to  be  hired  to  collect  them,  and  they  were  finally 
buried  with  great  pomp. 

Feasts  are  frequently  given  in  commemoration 
of  the  dead.  A  son  will  do  this  for  his  deceased 
mother,  a  brother  for  a  brother,  or  a  nephew  for  an 
uncle.  It  may  be  in  honour  of  one  who  has  been 
dead  a  number  of  years. 

In  the  days  of  cremation,  and  even  later,  dead 
bodies  were  never  taken  through  the  door,  but 
through  a  hole  made  in  the  side  of  the  house  and 
then  closed  up  so  that  the  spirit  of  the  deceased 
could  not  find  its  way  back  into  the  house.  Or  the 
body  was  taken  through  the  aperture  in  the  roof 
and  a  dog  taken  along  with  it.  If  the  dog  were 
not  taken  they  believed  that  some  one  of  the 
family  would  surely  die,  but  if  the  spirit  of  the 
deceased  entered  the  dog  it  would  not  return  to 
the  injury  of  any  member  of  the  household. 

With  an  occasional  exception  in  the  case  of  chil- 
dren, the  dead  are  never  buried  from  the  house 
in  which  they  die,  but  are  taken  to  some  other 
house  belonging  to  one  of  the  same  tribe. 

From  the  moment  of  death  until  the  body  is  dis- 
posed of,  some  one  must  remain  with  the  corpse 
day  and  night  and  a  light  must  burn  every  night. 
This  is  to  guard  against  the  intrusion  of  spirits. 
The  Greek  church  custom  of  burning  candles 
about  the  dead  appeals  strongly  to  this  phase  of 
their  superstition  and  conforms  to  their  practice. 

Down  to  the  present  generation  embalming  was 
practised.  Mummies  have  been  found  in  Alaska, 
some  of  which  may  now  be  seen  in  the  Smith- 
sonian Institute.  The  universal  custom  now  is 
to  bury  the  dead,  and  they  usually  hold  a  solemn 
funeral  service.  But  more  than  once  we  have  had 
the  hour  set  for  the  service  and  when  we  went 


152      THE  DISPOSITION  OF  THE  DEAD 

to  hold  it  have  found  that  they  had  already  gone 
to  the  cemetery.  They  became  impatient  to  get 
to  feasting,  and  so  went  without  notice  to  the  of- 
ficiating minister. 

Deadhouses  are  small  houses  about  six  by  eight 
by  eight.  Most  bodies  are  buried  in  the  com- 
munity burial  ground,  or  the  remains  of  the  de- 
ceased are  left  to  repose  in  a  deadhouse  within  the 
common  deadhouse  plot.  Occasionally  one  pre- 
fers to  bury  his  relative  in  some  isolated  spot,  and 
small  islands  are  selected  for  this  purpose.  The 
bodies  of  medicine-men  are  always  placed  on  some 
high  and  almost  inaccessible  promontory.  Many 
a  shaman's  deadhouse  may  be  seen  from  the  deck 
of  steamers,  standing  like  some  grim  sentinel 
fifty,  or  a  hundred,  or  even  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  water.  In  many  instances  the  canoe  of 
the  departed  doctor  may  be  seen  beside  the  dead- 
house  rotting  in  conjunction  with  the  bones  of  its 
owner. 

Sometimes  the  ashes  and  bones  of  the  dead  were 
deposited  in  hollow  mortuary  poles.  A  number 
of  these  poles  may  yet  be  seen  in  the  country,  al- 
though the  custom  of  erecting  them  is  now  prac- 
tically a  thing  of  the  past. 

Widows  painted  their  faces  black  as  a  sign  of 
mourning.  If  a  widow's  face  was  streaked  from 
flowing  tears,  people  pitied  her,  as  they  believed 
she  truly  missed  her  husband.  But  if  no  such 
streaks  were  visible  they  disliked  her  and  talked 
about  her,  believing  that  she  did  not  care  for  her 
husband.  Sometimes  the  living  shaved  their  heads 
as  a  sign  of  mourning,  and  widows  cut  their  hair. 

Songs  were  introduced  at  burials  to  let  those 
in  attendance  know  something  of  the  history  of 
the  dead  and  his  family  connections. 


SIGNS  OF  MOURNING  153 

This  was  in  earlier  times,  however,  and  is  not 
practised  now.  As  Christian  burial  has  sup- 
planted cremation,  and  as  Christian  rites  are 
largely  employed  in  the  final  disposition  of  the 
body,  Christian  songs  are  sung  at  their  funerals. 
Those  in  attendance  at  funerals  are  always  very 
reverential.  But  those  employed  to  carry  the  cof- 
fin, place  it  in  the  tomb,  etc.,  do  not  do  it  with  that 
nice  delicacy  that  white  people  do.  Oftentimes 
they  build  and  nail  up  the  box  that  contains  the 
coffin  after  the  funeral  procession  has  arrived  at 
the  grave  and  the  bereaved,  as  well  as  others  in 
attendance,  are  compelled  to  listen  to  the  pound- 
ing and  sawing  until  it  is  completed. 

But,  they  are  making  progress,  and  doubtless 
some  day  they  will  be  more  considerate  and 
careful. 


XVI 

SHAMANISM  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

THE  part  that  superstition  has  played,  and 
still  plays,  in  human  affairs  is  by  no  means 
small.  It  is  a  child  of  ignorance  and  thrives 
best  in  the  barbarous  mind,  and  yet  enlightened 
people  are  not  altogether  free  from  it. 

Belief  in  witchcraft  has  ever  been  the  dominant 
superstition  of  uncivilized  people,  and  no  other 
superstition  has  been  so  prolific  of  cruelty  among 
men. 

While  it  does  not  hold  the  sway  over  the  na- 
tives of  Alaska  that  it  did  some  years  ago,  and 
while  some  have  thrown  it  off  altogether,  yet  it  is 
still  potent  with  the  mass  of  the  people.  Dis- 
eases, especially  those  of  a  lingering  and  wasting 
nature,  like  consumption,  are  regarded  as  the  work 
of  malevolent  witches. 

In  former  years  all  sickness  and  death  were  at- 
tributed to  them.  This  being  the  case,  the  only 
remedy  they  could  think  of  was  to  expel  the  evil 
spirit  that  possessed  the  sick  and  was  doing  the 
mischief.  They  must  either  do  that  or  locate  and 
kill  the  witch.  This  was  regarded  as  a  sacred 
duty. 

For  this  purpose  there  were  professional  men 
among  them  known  as  i~kt,  in  their  tongue,  and 
called  in  the  English  language,  medicine-men,  In- 
dian doctors  and  shamans,  the  last  term  having 
been  borrowed  from  the  Russians.  They  were 

154 


THE  OFFICE  OF  SHAMAN  155 

never  very  numerous,  usually  not  more  than  one 
or  two  to  a  community.  Some  communities  had 
none.  The  friends  of  the  sick  in  such  villages 
sent  abroad  for  the  ikt  when  needed. 

Like  our  own  physicians,  some  had  the  reputa- 
tion of  being  more  skilful  in  their  art  than  others, 
and  these  enjoyed  a  larger  practice  than  their  less 
favoured  brethren. 

The  office  of  shaman  may  be  inherited,  like  the 
ancient  priesthood,  but  not  necessarily  so.  As  a 
rule,  one  must  be  consecrated  to  the  office  from 
infancy,  and  no  comb,  scissors  or  water  must  ever 
touch  his  hair.  The  longer  and  more  matted  the 
hair  the  greater  the  power  the  doctor  is  supposed 
to  possess.  For  this  reason  the  hair  of  an  ikt  was 
jealously  guarded.  If  shorn  of  it  his  power  van- 
ished, and  he  was  no  longer  consulted  as  a  doctor. 

The  total  neglect  of  the  hair  was  not  the  only 
habit  peculiar  to  this  profession.  They  spent  long 
periods  in  the  forest  in  absolute  solitude,  sup- 
posedly in  communication  with  evil  spirits.  They 
also  had  periods  of  fasting,  and  their  diet  dif- 
fered in  many  respects  from  that  of  others.  They 
ate  the  bark  of  devilclub  and  portions  of  bodies 
of  the  dead.  They  also  procured  and  held  in  the 
mouth  the  finger  of  a  dead  ikt.  Just  before  they 
engaged  in  exorcising  evil  spirits  from  the  sick, 
or  in  determining  who  was  the  witch,  they  drank 
native  red  paint.  They  always  kept  the  box  con- 
taining their  paraphernalia  on  top  of  the  house. 
A  hot  fire  was  required  when  performing  about 
the  sick,  and  they  began  the  ceremony  in  perfect 
nudity.  As  they  warmed  to  their  work,  a  girdle 
composed  of  bones,  claw-nails  and  talons  was  put 
about  their  loins,  then  a  necklace  of  such  about 
their  necks,  and  last  of  all  they  were  given  rattles 


156     SHAMANISM  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

especially  made  for  their  use.  It  was  firmly  be- 
lieved that  the  evil  spirits  could  not  be  conjured 
with  any  other  objects  than  the  drum  and  the 
rattle. 

As  the  natives  felt  that  good  spirits  would  never 
harm  them,  their  chief  concern  was  to  propitiate 
the  evil  ones  so  they  would  not. 

In  case  the  sick  recovered,  no  witch  was  hunted. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  the  patient  grew  worse  and 
showed  signs  of  dying,  then  the  wily  doctor  evaded 
responsibility  by  asserting  that  a  witch  was  hin- 
dering his  work  and  must  be  found  and  killed. 
For  the  service  of  locating  the  witch,  he  had  to 
be  paid  a  much  larger  fee  than  for  merely  making 
one  well. 

The  one  settled  on  as  the  witch  was  generally 
some  unimportant  member  of  the  community,  an 
uncanny-looking  creature,  a  slave,  or  some  one 
who  had  the  ill  will  of  the  doctor  or  the  relatives 
of  the  patient.  This  was  a  very  effective  way  of 
ridding  one  of  his  enemy. 

No  one,  not  even  the  victim  himself,  thought  of 
disputing  the  shaman's  judgment.  Whom  he 
designated  as  the  witch  was  believed  by  all  to  be 
such,  and  was  immediately  treated  as  such.  A 
near  relative  of  the  witch  usually  took  the  ini- 
tiative in  the  punishment. 

The  victim  was  first  reviled,  reproached,  bru- 
tally and  shamefully  treated,  and  subsequently  put 
to  death.  No  punishment  was  considered  too  cruel 
for  a  witch,  and  various  means  were  devised  for 
their  torture.  They  were  tied  to  stakes  before  the 
rising  tide,  and  to  stakes  in  the  forests  for  wolves 
to  devour;  they  were  made  to  die  from  starva- 
tion, with  food  almost  within  their  reach;  their 
limbs  were  tied  to  their  bodies  and  then  they  were 


TOTEM    POLE 


CASES  OF  WITCHCRAFT  157 

thrown  naked  on  a  bed  of  thorns.  In  short,  all 
kinds  of  exquisite  tortures  were  applied  to  the 
miserable  wretches. 

After  the  witch  was  left  to  die,  no  one  would 
dare  approach  him,  or  in  any  way  offer  relief. 
The  curse  of  the  community  would  be  on  the  head 
of  the  one  who  did. 

If  a  witch  had  the  good  fortune  to  escape  death, 
he  was  shunned  by  all,  and  no  matter  how  much  he 
might  be  in  need  of  assistance,  no  one  would  help 
him.  The  case  of  a  poor  old  blind  man  comes  to 
mind.  In  his  earlier  days  he  had  been  tied  up 
as  a  witch,  but  was  rescued  from  his  horrible  con- 
dition by  some  white  men.  To  keep  him  from 
starving,  after  he  became  practically  helpless,  the 
white  people  living  about  him  supported  him 
through  charity.  No  native  would  do  anything  for 
him  because  he  had  once  been  declared  a  witch 
by  their  infallible  ikt. 

It  would  be  almost  impossible  to  exaggerate 
the  native's  terror  of  witches.  It  is  for  this  rea- 
son rather  than  for  hardness  of  heart  or  delight  in 
human  sufferings,  that  they  torture  them.  They 
deem  nothing  too  cruel  for  them  because  they  hold 
them  responsible  for  all  human  sufferings  and 
death  itself. 

Any  one  who  accuses  another  of  being  a  witch 
runs  the  risk  of  losing  his  life  at  the  hands  of  the 
accused,  or  his  relatives,  for  it  is  deemed  such  a 
terrible  charge.  Even  venerated  shamans  have 
been  killed  for  this. 

A  young  girl  was  tied  up  and  after  severe 
torture  was  compelled  to  admit  that  she  had  made 
witch-medicine.  She  was  then  compelled  to  dive 
down  and  bury  the  concoction  in  the  bed  of  the 
river,  the  natives  believing  that  if  this  is  done  the 


158     SHAMANISM  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

bewitched  will  get  well.  The  girl  claimed  that  a 
certain  man  taught  her  to  make  the  fearful  medi- 
cine. She  is  now  a  woman  about  thirty-five  years 
of  age  and  well  known  in  Alaska. 

A  boy  of  a  lively  and  mischievous  nature  was 
condemned  as  a  witch.  He  was  spirited  away  and 
left  to  starve  in  a  garret,  but  the  missionary  of 
the  place,  hearing  of  the  lad's  misfortune,  res- 
cued him,  and  sent  him  to  the  mission-training 
school  at  Sitka.  He  is  there  yet  and  is  a  youth  of 
promise.  This  institution  has  been  the  refuge  of 
more  than  one  native  child  who  was  condemned  to 
die  as  a  witch. 

Witch-medicine  is  composed  of  several  ingredi- 
ents, such  as  hair  and  finger  parings  of  the  dead, 
herbs,  and  the  tongues  of  birds,  frogs  and  mice. 
If  a  native  is  seen  loitering  around  a  native  burial 
ground,  he  is  suspected  of  being  after  materials 
for  witch-medicine. 

Some,  charged  with  being  witches,  take  a  kind 
of  pride  in  admitting  it.  They  not  only  glory  in 
making  others  believe  that  they  have  such  de- 
moniacal powers,  but  do  it  in  order  to  make  others 
fear  them. 

When  witchcraft  was  in  its  flower,  the  ikt  was 
superstitiously  regarded  as  an  all-powerful  being. 
His  word  was  absolute,  and  he  was  revered  as  a 
god.  All  kinds  of  superstitions  were  held  in  con- 
nection with  him.  Fetishes  were  made  of  his 
things.  When  natives  passed  his  deadhouse  in 
their  canoes  they  threw  tobacco  or  food,  such  as 
he  had  liked  in  life,  into  the  water  to  propitiate 
his  spirit,  and  even  prayed  to  his  spirit  for  a  safe 
journey  and  success  in  their  hunting  ventures.  It 
was  also  thought  disrespectful  to  pass  the  spot 
afar  off  as  if  afraid  of  it.  Yet  on  land  no  native 


THE  IKT'S  BURIAL  PLACE  159 

would  venture  near  the  deadhouse  of  an  ikt.  All 
berries  growing  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  grue- 
some tomb  were  superstitiously  eschewed,  as  it 
was  the  universal  belief  that  those  who  ate  such 
berries  would  surely  die.  They  were  regarded  as 
belonging  to  the  yak  (spirit)  of  the  dead  doctor. 

A  shaman  was  never  cremated.  His  body  was 
embalmed,  then  wrapped  in  a  mat  made  of  basket 
material,  tied  securely  and  then  placed  in  the  dead- 
house.  Things  that  he  owned  and  prized  in  life 
were  deposited  with  him.  No  matter  how  costly, 
they  were  never  in  any  danger  of  being  stolen, 
for  the  tomb  of  a  shaman  was  regarded  as  espe- 
cially sacred.  No  tomb,  however,  was  ever  in  dan- 
ger of  being  rifled  by  a  native. 

When  he  failed  to  cure  the  sick,  it  was  generally 
believed  that  he  had  been  too  familiar  with  some 
woman,  and  for  this  reason  his  all-powerful  yak 
had  forsaken  him. 

When  eating  halibut,  no  one  would  pass  in  front 
of  his  door  if  he  knew  it.  Some  one  was  stationed 
in  front  of  his  door  when  his  highness  was  thus 
engaged,  and  any  one  about  to  pass  was  warned 
and  directed  to  pass  around  the  back  of  the  house. 

The  ikt  was  considered  not  only  to  be  in  league 
and  to  have  influence  with  evil  spirits,  but  to  be 
a  prophet.  As  such  he  was  often  consulted  as  to 
weather,  the  proper  time  to  start  on  the  hunt, 
whether  a  certain  venture  would  meet  with  suc- 
cess or  failure  and  about  other  things.  He  would 
predict  epidemics,  deaths  and  other  catastrophes. 
He  was  considered  also  to  have  the  gift  of  tongues. 
It  was  believed,  for  instance,  that  a  Thlinget 
shaman  could  speak  the  Tsimpshean  tongue  when 
the  Tsimpshean  spirit  came  upon  him,  but  not 
otherwise. 


160     SHAMANISM  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

They  were  very  jealous  of  one  another,  discred- 
iting one  another,  and  doing  what  they  could  to 
break  down  each  other's  reputation.  When  jeal- 
ous, it  was  said  that  their  spirits  were  fighting 
one  another. 

When  in  the  full  swing  of  his  performance,  the 
ikt  makes  such  a  hideous  noise  that  no  spirit,  how- 
ever malignant,  is  considered  to  be  bold  enough 
to  remain  in  a  patient's  body.  In  appearance 
he  is  the  most  diabolical  and  repulsive-look- 
ing of  all  creatures,  and  it  is  scarcely  to  be 
wondered  at  that  he  fills  others  with  awe  and 
fear. 

In  this  connection  we  submit  an  excellent  pen 
picture  of  one  in  action,  taken  from  the  realistic 
novel  of  Mrs.  Eugene  S.  Willard,  "  Kindashon's 
Wife." 

1 1  Three  parts  of  the  great  house  are  filled  with 
people — men,  women  and  children,  sitting  and 
standing,  densely  massed.  On  the  fourth  side, 
opposite  the  door,  with  head  toward  the  wall,  lies 
the  body  of  the  sick  chief;  at  either  end  of  this 
long  space  hang  the  rewards,  and  between  them 
is  the  dancing  ground  of  the  doctor,  who  now  sits, 
limply,  near  the  sick  man's  feet,  with  the  rattle  in 
his  hand. 

"  He  has  closed  his  eyes,  and  now  he  begins  to 
breathe  more  heavily  and  irregularly — the  drum 
is  but  touched  as  by  his  breath. 

"  Presently  the  breathing  itself  assumes  a  form 
of  sound ;  there  is  a  mutter — a  rumble,  gradually 
gaining  the  punctuation  of  a  chant,  weird  and  wild 
as  the  cries  of  a  lost  soul. 

"  Now  the  eyes  roll — the  sight  turns  inward, 
then  out  again,  throwing  light  lurid  as  from  hell. 
The  muscles  begin  to  twitch,  the  limbs  to  jerk,  the 


PERFORMANCE  OF  THE  IKT  161 

body  to  rock  and  sway  as  if  moved  by  infernal 
machinery. 

"  The  sight  becomes  fixed  as  held  by  awful 
power — the  breath  comes  in  snorts — the  chant 
grows  louder — the  drums  beat  quick  and  low; 
every  muscle  freezes  tense — the  air  is  palpitating 
with  the  powers  of  the  unseen  world. 

'  '  There  is  a  crouching  of  the  visible  champion. 
And  now  with  the  cry  and  spring  of  a  panther 
he  is  at  the  side  of  the  mangled,  prostrate  form — • 
the  chant  is  now  a  shriek ;  the  drum-beats  indicate 
the  close  and  awful  contact  of  the  opposing  forces, 
the  rattle  is  held  aloft  and  shaken  with  ferocious 
vehemence.  Now  he  retreats,  crouches,  springs 
clear  over  the  body — wilder  and  wilder  grow  the 
singing  and  the  drum — he  writhes  as  in  torment — 
he  shrieks  and  moans  and  beats  his  own  body — he 
leaps  into  the  air  with  uplifted  arms  and  a  blood- 
curdling yell — there!  he  has  fallen  and  relapsed 
into  his  first  position.  The  sounds  have  fallen — 
muffled,  also.  There  is  a  clutching — a  clawing  at 
the  invisible — a  hissing,  with  lips  compressed, 
with  jaws  set;  the  spitting  of  a  wildcat,  the  snap 
and  snarl  of  a  maddened  dog. 

^  Palsy  seizes  the  whole  frame  of  the  creature, 
with  muscles  drawn  to  tenseness  like  iron  and 
moved  with  irresistible  power,  till,  foaming  at  the 
mouth,  the  eyes  rolling  as  in  horrible  agony,  he 
falls  under  the  power  of  the  spirits  he  has  dared 
to  encounter.  Two  men  spring  forward  and  take 
him  in  their  grasp,  trying  to  prevent  him  from 
eating  his  own  flesh. 

"  He  is  now  left  to  himself — for  in  this  swoon 
are  revealed  to  him  the  human  agencies  which  are 
in  league  with  the  spirits  he  has  assailed.  Woe 
to  the  man,  woman  or  child  who  may  have  crossed 


162     SHAMANISM  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

this  wretch 's  will  at  any  time,  or  to  those  who  are 
objects  of  dislike  to  those  rich  enough  to  pay  this 
creature  for  condemning  them ! 

"  The  waiting  people  hold  their  breath  in  si- 
lence which  grows  more  terrible,  not  knowing  who 
may  be  the  victim  of  this  consultation  with  the 
powers  of  darkness. 

"  But  now  the  sorcerer  moves,  twitches  and 
quivers  again,  and  with  the  seeming  agonies  of 
a  horrible  death  he  struggles  back  to  human  life. 
Like  one  muttering  in  his  sleep  he  speaks — every 
ear  is  strained  to  catch  the  words  which  come 
gurgling  from  that  world  of  horrors  and  of  mys- 
tery: 

"  i  The  spirit  of  the  great  chief  must  pass  be- 
fore us  ere  the  setting  of  the  sun;  '  then  in  the 
same  sepulchral  tone  comes  the  name  l  Sha-hehe.' 
What  else  the  sorcerer  says  and  does  are  lost  in 
the  quick,  sharp  cry  of  terror  from  Sha-hehe,  and 
the  general  hubbub  which  ensues." 

Native  superstition  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
witchcraft.  It  has  a  wide  range  and  is  a  big  factor 
in  his  life. 

His  belief  in  the  existence  of  evil  and  malignant 
spirits  is  the  foundation  for  his  belief  in  witch- 
craft. He  regards  them  as  not  only  capable  of 
producing  disease,  but  of  sending  other  calami- 
ties. They  may  make  a  heavy  storm  swamp  his 
canoe,  cause  him  to  be  drowned,  to  be  destroyed 
by  bears,  triumphed  over  by  his  foes,  and  in  other 
ways  do  him  untold  harm. 

Many  things  are  regarded  by  him  as  evil  omens. 
The  birth  of  twins  is  one.  In  former  years  a 
man  felt  justified  in  leaving  his  wife  if  she  pre- 


EVIL  OMENS  163 

sented  him  with  twins,  and  she  was  looked  upon 
by  all  as  something  uncanny.  Twins  were  also 
put  to  death.  In  this  age  they  are  accepted  as  a 
matter  of  course. 

A  widow  must  not  eat  boiled  fish  lest  her  head 
should  loosen  and  shake  from  side  to  side.  If  the 
sick  suddenly  finds  a  bug  on  his  person,  it  is  re- 
garded as  a  sign  that  he  will  surely  die  from  that 
sickness. 

The  aurora  borealis  is  regarded  as  an  evil  omen. 
It  indicates  that  some  one  will  be  killed.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  only  people  who  have  been  killed  go  up 
into  the  sky,  the  common  future  home  of  spirits 
being  some  imaginary  remote  locality  beyond  the 
most  distant  mountains,  and  inaccessible  except 
through  death.  When,  therefore,  the  aurora  is 
seen,  it  is  believed  that  those  who  have  passed  to 
the  skies  are  dancing  for  joy  because  some  one 
will  be  killed  and  join  their  number.  In  former 
years,  when  tribal  wars  were  rife,  it  was  consid- 
ered the  sure  sign  of  an  approaching  battle. 

Children  are  forbidden  to  throw  scraps  of  food 
into  the  water,  as  the  water-dog  will  get  them  and 
then  the  children  will  have  bad  luck;  to  pick 
up  shells  on  the  seashore  will  bring  a  terrific 
storm. 

Charms  are  worn  to  ward  off  evil,  and  certain 
things  are  kept  to  bring  good  luck.  A  woman  has 
kept  for  years  a  lot  of  halibut  bones  taken  from  a 
halibut  that  was  mysteriously  caught  by  a  native. 
The  old  woman  would  not  part  with  these  bones 
for  anything.  A  red-bird  is  kept  by  a  man  who 
caught  it  while  sitting  on  a  log.  He  has  had  it 
for  years,  and  he  attributes  every  piece  of  good 
fortune  to  his  possession  of  this  bird.  Another 
is  keeping  some  pretty  eggs  that  he  found  in  a 


164?     SHAMANISM  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

peculiar  place,  and  every  turn  of  good  fortune  is 
at  once  accredited  to  these  eggs. 

The  tongues  of  birds  and  of  mice,  after  having 
been  dried  on  the  top  of  a  house,  are  considered 
very  potent  talismans. 

Many  natives  are  firm  believers  in  love-potions. 
These  are  made  of  the  tongues  of  birds,  frogs 
and  mice,  andiof  herbs,  and  the  medicine  or  charm 
is  known  as  ka-gane-e-Moot  (tongue  medicine). 

When  a  woman  becomes  infatuated  with  a  man 
and  her  love  is  not  reciprocated,  or  if  a  wife  ob- 
serves that  her  husband 's  affection  is  cooling  and 
she  wishes  to  retain  it,  she  resorts  to  the  love- 
potion.  This  is  made  of  the  ingredients  men- 
tioned above  and  in  great  secrecy.  It  is  then 
wrapped  in  a  piece  of  the  loved  one's  necktie,  or 
shirt,  or  some  other  garment,  and  carefully  hidden 
away,  the  woman  taking  good  care  not  to  forget 
the  spot  where  it  is  hidden,  as  it  is  believed  if  the 
place  is  forgotten  not  only  will  the  potion  lose  its 
efficacy,  but  the  woman  will  also  lose  her  mind. 

If  this  process  of  winning  or  retaining  the  af- 
fections is  faithfully  carried  out,  it  is  firmly  be- 
lieved to  result  in  victory.  The  process,  however, 
of  compounding  the  ingredients  in  rightful  pro- 
portions is  known  to  but  few.  The  potion  may 
be  bought,  but  is  very  costly.  This  same  philter 
is  sometimes  resorted  to  to  make  one  successful 
in  the  hunt,  dance,  witchcraft  and  in  other  affairs 
of  life. 

It  is  believed  that  all  animals  understand  hu- 
man speech.  For  this  reason  natives  are  careful 
what  they  say  about  them  not  only  in  their  pres- 
ence, but  at  any  time;  for  they  have  some  mys- 
terious way  of  hearing  all  said  about  them,  and 
if  evil  or  boastful  things  are  said,  the  creature 


SUPERSTITIONS  ABOUT  DROWNING   165 

maligned  is  sure  to  take  offence,  and  in  time  will 
surely  harm  the  speaker.  A  young  man  who  was 
subject  to  epileptic  fits,  while  in  one  of  them  fell 
off  the  deck  of  a  boat  and  was  drowned.  It  was 
said  that  when  he  was  a  child  he  spoke  unkindly 
to  some  little  fishes,  and  this  was  his  punishment 
for  it.  A  young  man  swore  at  some  mountain 
sheep  which  he  was  hunting  because  they  were  in 
a  difficult  place  to  reach.  In  his  effort  to  reach 
them  a  snowslide  came  down  and  buried  him  and 
he  perished.  The  natives  believe  that  he  met  with 
this  death  because  he  was  disrespectful  to  the 
sheep. 

When  the  grampus  is  seen,  he  is  practically 
prayed  to  to  bring  them  good  luck.  This  marine 
monster  feeds  on  seals,  and  is  generally  on  the 
hunt  for  them.  He  may  direct  the  hunter  to  where 
seals  are,  so  he  is  graciously  addressed  when  seen. 

Even  the  little  oolikan  are  respectfully  spoken 
to;  if  not,  they  are  supposed  to  resent  it,  disap- 
pear and,  in  some  way,  bring  trouble  to  those  who 
have  been  so  disrespectful. 

The  crow,  raven  and  eagle,  being  totemic  birds, 
are  never  molested  by  those  of  their  totem. 

It  is  believed  that  the  spirit  of  the  drowned  is 
caught  by  the  land-otter  and  dragged  into  his  hole, 
and  there  it  is  turned  into  a  "  goosh-ta-hah,"  the 
native  hobgoblin,  or  ghost  of  the  woods. 

On  account  of  this  superstition,  drowning  is  con- 
sidered the  worst  calamity  that  can  befall  one, 
especially  if  the  body  is  not  recovered.  Conse- 
quently when  a  native  is  drowned  diligent  search 
is  made  to  recover  his  body,  heavy  rewards  are 
offered  and  searching  parties  formed.  When 
Chief  Kin-da-goosh  was  drowned  in  the  Chilkat 
river  the  whole  country  was  in  commotion,  and 


166     SHAMANISM  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

the  river  was  fairly  covered  with  canoes  in  which 
were  hundreds  of  natives  looking  for  his  body. 
The  search  was  maintained  until  the  body  was 
recovered,  though  it  took  days  to  find  it.  Great 
would  have  been  their  sorrow  had  the  body  not 
been  found. 

When  a  husband  goes  hunting  or  fishing  his  wife 
must  not  bathe,  comb  her  hair  nor  look  into  a 
mirror,  lest  it  bring  him  bad  luck. 

*When  a  woman  is  pregnant,  neither  she  nor  her 
husband  must  eat  thimbleberries  or  strawberries. 

There  are  several  superstitions  in  connection 
with  births.  A  babe  must  not  be  born  in  the  house 
for  fear  of  bringing  evil  upon  it.  When  delivery 
is  expected  the  mother  moves  out  and  occupies  a 
booth  of  boughs,  or  a  tent.  She  must  not  be 
touched,  as  she  is  considered  unclean. 

The  superstitious  belief  in  the  reality  and  truth 
of  dreams  has  tremendous  hold  on  the  native  mind. 
If  a  sick  native  dreams  of  one  bewitching  him,  that 
one  is  positively  regarded  as  a  witch.  If  a  hus- 
band dreams  that  his  wife  has  been  untrue  to  him, 
he  believes  that  she  has  and  gives  her  a  sound 
whipping  on  the  strength  of  it. 

A  woman  dreamed  that  she  was  struck  in  the 
chest  by  another  woman.  When  she  awoke  there 
was  a  pain  in  her  chest  (which,  doubtless,  caused 
the  dream)  and  she  firmly  believed  it  to  be  the 
result  of  some  malignant  influence  over  her  by 
the  woman  of  whom  she  dreamed. 

A  white  youth,  with  two  or  three  natives,  was 
drowned  in  the  Chilkat  river.  A  native  dreamed 
that  he  appeared  to  him  and  appealed  for  food. 
The  dreamer  and  his  friends  believed  that  the 
drowned  were  hungry  and  in  need  of  food,  and 
they  cooked  a  great  quantity  of  beans  and  bacon, 


PROPERTIES  OF  MEDICINE  167 

ate  some  themselves,  but  cast  the  most  of  it  into 
the  river  to  feed  the  drowned. 

In  earlier  days,  ordeals  by  poison  were  resorted 
to  in  order  to  determine  guilt.  Medicines  were 
relied  on  more  for  their  supernatural  than  for 
their  medicinal  properties;  for  their  charms  than 
for  their  curative  powers.  Thus  a  certain  medi- 
cine was  blown  upon  traps  to  make  them  success- 
ful in  catching  game.  Others  were  used  to  reveal 
secrets,  to  make  one  rich,  to  make  one  successful 
against  his  enemy,  to  give  one  power  to  kill  ani- 
mals, to  make  one  happy,  and  so  on  almost  ad 
infinitum.  Love-potions  were  concocted  and  be- 
lieved to  be  very  efficacious.  The  writer  has  been 
told  that  many  a  woman  who  had  a  violent  hatred 
for  a  man  has  been  won  to  a  passionate  love  for 
him  because  he  carried  a  love-potion  to  influence 
her. 

When  fishing,  natives  talk  to  their  halibut  lines, 
hooks  and  floats,  calling  them  "  brother-in-law/' 
"  father-in-law, "  etc.  It  is  believed  that  if  they 
did  not  do  so  they  would  not  have  any  good  luck. 

What  has  now  been  submitted  does  not  exhaust 
the  list  of  Thlinget  superstitions.  It  will  serve, 
however,  to  show  what  a  sway  this  evil  principle 
has  over  the  native  life.  But  it  is  only  just  to  say 
that  many  natives  no  longer  take  stock  in  these 
superstitions. 


XVII 

TOTEMISM 

THERE  is  no  more  interesting  and  intricate 
subject  pertaining  to  the  natives  of  Alaska 
than  totemism,  and  none  about  which  most 
people  have  such  vague,  indefinite  and  unsatis- 
factory notions. 

The  reticence  of  the  natives,  their  reluctance 
to  talk  to  white  people  on  the  subject  and  the  ab- 
sence of  any  written  language,  make  it  very  dif- 
ficult to  acquire  a  true  and  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge of  it.  The  average  white  man  can  find  out 
nothing  satisfactory  about  it  by  approaching  them 
on  the  subject.  The  old  natives  who  know  will 
not  respond,  and  the  young  ones  claim  to  know 
nothing  about  it. 

The  only  way  to  get  at  the  truth  of  the  matter 
is  to  live  with  them  and,  indirectly,  to  draw  them 
out,  or  let  them  voluntarily  express  themselves 
concerning  it.  If  a  white  man  shows  much  eager- 
ness to  learn  about  their  customs  they  will  almost 
invariably,  especially  if  they  are  not  well  ac- 
quainted with  him,  refuse  to  talk  about  them,  or 
tell  him  some  nonsense  both  to  mislead  him  and 
that  they  may  smile  at  his  credulity. 

Because  totem  poles  consist  of  carved  images, 
some  declare  them  to  be  idols.  They  were  never 
regarded  as  such,  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to 
learn,  by  the  natives. 

An  idol  is  an  image  of  some  imaginary  deity, 

168 


CHILKAT  BLANKET  AND  WOMAN 


CREST  169 

and  is  worshipped  as  having  both  being  and  power. 
The  totem  poles  of  the  natives  of  Alaska,  while 
bearing  images  of  creatures,  were  never  erected 
to  represent  any  imaginary  deity  or  god.  Nor 
were  they  ever  worshipped.  They  are  highly  re- 
vered because  they  carry  the  tribal  emblem. 
What  the  coat-of-arms,  or  crest,  is  to  families  of 
the  English  aristocracy,  so  are  totemic  marks  to 
native  families.  The  Englishman  reveres  the 
family  crest,  but  does  not  worship  it;  so  does  the 
native  with  his  totemic  emblem. 

Some  natives  have  misled  white  people  by  call- 
ing their  totems  idols  when  they  merely  meant 
they  were  images.  The  native  word  for  totem  is 
ko-ted,  meaning  image,  or  likeness.  When  the 
natives  learned  about  the  idols  of  the  Bible,  they 
used  this  same  word  for  idol.  So  now  it  is  used 
interchangeably  for  image  or  idol.  As  the  native 
does  not  make  the  nice  discrimination  between  the 
meaning  of  terms  that  we  do,  he  very  innocently 
says  one  thing  when  he  means  another. 

Some  have  been  told  by  the  natives  that  their 
people  worshipped  the  totem  poles  when  it  was 
only  meant  that  they  have  a  superstitious  rever- 
ence for  them. 

Another  thing  that  would  give  colour  to  the 
belief  that  they  are  worshipped  is  that  when  they 
saw  the  totem  of  a  shaman,  they  would  make  a 
formal  sign  in  its  presence,  the  same  as  a  member 
of  the  Eussian  church  makes  when  he  comes  into 
the  presence  of  an  edifice  or  a  priest  of  that  faith. 
The  man  does  not  worship  the  edifice  nor  the 
priest;  nor  does  the  native  worship  the  pole  by 
so  doing. 

The  nearest  approach  to  idolatry  of  these  peo- 
ple was  in  attributing  to  birds,  fish  and  animals 


170  TOTEMISM 

supernatural  powers,  and  then  setting  up  images 
of  them.  While  these  creatures  are  not  regarded 
exactly  as  gods,  yet  attributes  were  ascribed  to 
them  equal  to  the  attributes  of  deity. 

"  The  totem  poles/'  says  Professor  Dall,  in  his 
admirable  work,  "  Alaska  and  Its  Resources," 
"  are  in  no  sense  idols.  They  are  like  pictures 
to  illustrate  the  legend  that  is  connected  with  the 
family. ' '  This  view  is  correct.  But  they  are  not 
only  like  pictures  to  illustrate  legends ;  they  stand 
for  very  much  more. 

It  is  very  important  to  a  correct  understanding 
of  totemism  to  know  the  true  totemic  divisions  of 
the  people. 

All  natives  of  either  main  totemic  division  are 
regarded  as  brothers  and  sisters  though  they  may 
be  of  different  sub-totems  of  the  division.  These 
cannot  intermarry.  They  must  seek  partners 
somewhere  in  the  opposite  division,  or  fraternity. 

One  of  the  common  errors  of  writers  on  the  na- 
tives is  to  confound  subdivisions  with  main  ones. 
Another  is  to  use  the  terms  "  tribe  "  and  "  clan  r 
interchangeably.  A  tribe  may  be  divided  into 
clans,  but  not  a  clan  into  tribes.  A  tribe  may  be 
composed  of  several  sub-totems  but  of  the  same 
great  phratry;  a  clan,  on  the  other  hand,  is  com- 
posed of  people  of  the  same  totem.  Every  native 
has  his  sub-totem  which,  in  turn,  determines  the 
main  division  to  which  he  belongs. 

The  entire  native  population  of  southeastern 
Alaska  is  divided,  as  already  stated,  into  two  great 
divisions  known  as  the  Eagle  and  the  Crow.  The 
sub-totems  of  the  Eagle  are  the  Bear,  Wolf, 
Whale,  Shark,  etc.,  and  of  the  Crow,  the  Beaver, 
Frog,  Salmon,  Seal,  etc.  Every  family  must  both 
be  of  the  Eagle  and  the  Crow  fraternity,  the  hus- 


TOTEMIC  DIVISIONS  171 

band  of  one  side  and  the  wife  of  the  other,  or 
vice  versa.  If  the  husband's  phratry  is  the  Eagle, 
his  wife's  must  be  that  of  the  Crow.  Any  one  of 
the  Crow  line  of  sub-totems  may  cross  over  to  the 
line  of  sub-totems  of  the  Eagle  division  and  seek 
a  wife,  and  vice  versa.  But  no  one  of  the  Crow 
line  can  take  a  partner  in  marriage  from  any  of 
the  totems  of  that  division  or  phratry,  even  though 
they  are  utter  strangers  and  no  blood  relation. 
That  is,  one  of  the  Bear  totem  may  not  marry  one 
of  the  Whale,  as  these  belong  to  the  same  grand 
division. 

A  valuable  pamphlet  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Frobese,  at 
one  time  curator  of  the  Sheldon  Jackson  Museum 
at  Sitka,  Alaska,  gives  the  following  interesting 
table  of  marriageable  possibilities : 

Man's  Totem  Woman's  Totem 
Eagle  Crow 

Bear  Beaver 

Wolf  Frog 

Whale  Salmon 

Shark  Seal 

A  subject  so  deep  and  intricate  merits  and  re- 
quires something  more  than  a  mere  glimpse  of 
totem  poles  from  the  deck  of  a  steamer  to  qualify 
one  to  pass  on  it.  Totemism  is  something  more 
than  a  mere  idle  and  meaningless  whim  of  an  ig- 
norant people.  With  the  natives  of  Alaska,  it  is 
the  foundation  of  their  entire  social  structure  and 
a  tangible  expression  of  their  belief.  Its  impor- 
tance among  them  can  scarcely  be  exaggerated. 
It  expresses  their  belief  in  the  kinship  of  men  and 
animals,  and  had,  doubtless,  its  origin  in  the  be- 
lief of  the  animal  ancestry  of  man.  Those  of 
the  Eagle  division  claim  to  have  sprung  from  the 


173  TOTEMISM 

eagle,  those  of  the  Crow  from  the  crow.  Because 
of  their  belief  that  animals  can  understand  human 
speech,  I  have  been  cautioned  more  than  once, 
while  in  camp  with  natives,  and  in  all  seriousness, 
never  to  speak  in  terms  of  disrespect  of  the  bear, 
or  other  animal. 

The  natives  are  Darwinians  to  the  very  letter. 
Their  belief  in  the  origin  of  man  from  animals 
is  expressed  not  only  in  their  verbal  legends, 
but  on  some  of  their  totem  poles.  On  one  this 
legend  is  inscribed : 

"  Years  ago  a  number  of  women  were  in  the 
woods  picking  berries  when  a  chief's  daughter, 
who  happened  to  be  among  them,  ridiculed  the 
whole  bear  species.  For  this  affront,  a  number 
of  bears  suddenly  appeared  and  killed  all  of  the 
women  except  the  chief's  daughter.  The  leading 
bear  of  the  bunch  made  her  his  wife.  She  bore 
him  a  child,  half  human  and  half  bear.  One  day 
this  child  was  discovered  up  a  tree.  She  was  mis- 
taken for  a  bear,  but  managed  to  make  her  dis- 
coverers understand  that  she  was  human.  She 
was  taken  to  their  village  and  she  became  the 
ancestor  of  all  natives  belonging  to  the  Bear 
totem. " 

Mr.  William  Duncan,  the  "  Apostle  of  Alaska, " 
who  speaks  with  authority  on  anything  pertaining 
to  the  natives  of  Alaska,  thinks  that  totems  were 
adopted  to  distinguish  clans. 

"  It  is  not  improbable,"  writes  Professor  Dall, 
"  that  the  custom,  or  system,  of  totems  orig- 
inated in  a  desire  to  prevent  war,  and  to  knit  the 
tribes  more  closely  together." 

After  years  of  study  of  the  subject  and  close 
observation  of  the  working  of  the  system,  we  are 
of  the  firm  opinion  that  totemism  had  its  origin 


ORIGIN  OF  TOTEMISM  173 

in  the  belief  of  an  animal  ancestry,  and  that  the 
distinguishing  of  clans,  the  effort  to  prevent  war, 
and  the  knitting  of  tribes  more  closely  together 
followed  as  a  consequence  from  its  adoption, 
rather  than  suggesting  it. 

Totemism  not  only  controls  marriages,  but  in- 
dicates the  rank  and  caste  of  people.  The  higher 
the  totem  pole  the  greater  the  man  who  owns  it. 
The  people  of  the  Hootz  (brown  bear)  family,  or 
Keet  (grampus)  family  are  considered  superior 
to  those  of  the  Hot  (salmon)  or  Chich'g  (frog) 
family.  In  public  assemblies  places  of  honour  are 
distributed  according  to  rank  (totem).  In  daily 
intercourse,  people  are  treated  and  respected  ac- 
cording to  their  family  totem.  Those  of  an  in- 
ferior totem  are  very  careful  how  they  speak  to 
those  of  a  superior  one.  In  the  settlement  of  in- 
juries, totemism  plays  a  very  important  part. 
The  man  of  a  superior  totem  is  always  awarded 
higher  damages  than  one  of  an  inferior  crest.  In 
a  drunken  orgy  a  woman  had  her  eye  gouged  out. 
About  the  same  time,  another  woman,  in  a  drunken 
quarrel,  had  her  finger  so  injured  as  to  necessitate 
its  amputation.  The  one  who  lost  her  eye,  be- 
cause low-caste,  or  of  inferior  totem,  was  given 
only  two  hundred  dollars  damages,  while  the 
other,  being  a  high-caste  or  of  superior  totem, 
was  adjudged  wronged  to  the  extent  of  nine  hun- 
dred dollars. 

Totemism  governs  the  amount  to  be  spent  on  the 
dead,  what  one  shall  receive  at  a  feast,  the  para- 
phernalia he  shall  wear  at  a  dance,  the  voice  he 
shall  have  in  public  affairs,  the  size  of  his  house, 
the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held,  the  naming  of 
children  and  native  hospitality. 

It  serves  as  a  fraternal  means  to  bind  them 


174  TOTEMISM 

together  on  the  one  hand,  and  to  separate  them 
on  the  other,  and  to  mark  friends  from  foes.  All 
of  the  same  great  totemic  division  are  friends 
and  the  home  of  one  is  practically  the  home  of  the 
other.  No  matter  where  they  go,  those  of  their 
totem  kindly  receive  them  and  show  them  the 
warmest  hospitality.  Those  of  an  opposite  totem, 
while  they  may  not  be  regarded  as  enemies,  yet 
are  not  looked  upon  as  friends,  nor  called  upon 
for  any  favour. 

A  woman  of  a  superior  totem,  or  caste,  though 
she  may  live  a  life  of  shame  and  deepest  degrada- 
tion, is  respected,  and  were  she  to  die,  would  be 
deeply  mourned  and  have  a  costly  burial;  her 
sister  of  an  inferior  totem,  though  she  had  lived 
an  immaculate  life,  would  receive  scant  recogni- 
tion, and  were  she  to  die,  would  have  few  to  mourn 
her  death  and  a  shabby  burial. 

Totemism  regulates  the  disposition  of  the  dead. 
Those  of  the  same  totem  as  the  deceased  must  not 
raise  their  hand  to  do  a  thing  about  the  body. 
Dressing  the  corpse,  making  the  coffin,  carrying 
the  remains  to  the  grave,  digging  the  grave  and 
covering  it  up,  or  any  other  thing  required,  must 
be  done  by  those  of  the  opposite  totem  from  the 
dead. 

Guests  must  be  those  of  an  opposite  totem  from 
the  one  giving  the  feast,  and  they  are  seated  ac- 
cording to  caste,  or  totem. 

Totemism  proclaims  to  the  world  who  are  the 
occupants  of  a  house,  and  denotes  lineage,  the 
children  taking  their  mother's  totem.  It  regu- 
lates what  disposition  to  make  of  the  property 
of  the  dead.  It  promotes  hospitality  and  sociabil- 
ity, and  is  a  spur  to  ambition  and  thrift.  Many 
a  man  has  laboured  and  saved  in  order  to  erect 


THINGS  TOTEMISM  GOVERNS          175 

a  costly  totem  pole,  or  to  give  a  big  feast,  or  to 
throw  some  glory  on  his  family  crest. 

Totemism  binds  them  together  for  mutual  help 
and  protection.  Every  member  of  a  man's  totem 
is  ready  to  contribute  of  his  means  and  strength 
to  help  his  friend  in  time  of  need.  The  combined 
crests  of  either  grand  totemic  division  stand 
ready,  if  necessary,  to  meet  the  liabilities  of  any 
one  belonging  to  their  side  of  the  great  Thlinget 
family. 

Totemism  is  recorded  history,  genealogy, 
legend,  memorial,  commemoration  and  art. 

The  totem  pole  is  but  one  of  the  many  expres- 
sions of  totemism.  Everything  the  native  pos- 
sesses, in  many  instances  even  his  person,  carries 
totemic  designs.  He  does  not  make  a  common 
halibut  hook,  or  a  paddle,  a  spoon,  a  bracelet,  or 
scarcely  any  other  object,  without  etching  his 
totem  on  it.  Why?  Because  everything  he  uses 
is  associated  with  his  patron  friend  and  protector, 
be  it  eagle,  crow,  bear  or  wolf.  If  he  puts  the 
image  of  his  patron  on  his  halibut  hook,  it  will 
help  him  to  have  good  success;  on  his  paddle,  to 
go  safely  over  the  deep;  on  his  spoon,  to  protect 
him  from  poisonous  foods ;  on  his  house,  to  bless 
his  family. 

These  family  crests  are  represented  not  only  on 
poles,  but  on  the  fronts  of  houses,  on  the  interior 
walls,  on  the  prows  of  canoes  and  practically  all 
articles  used  by  the  natives. 

All  handiwork  in  wood,  stone,  bone,  horn,  cop- 
per, gold  and  silver  bears  totemic  designs.  So 
with  moccasins,  baskets  and  blankets.  In  this  age 
even  marble  tombstones  are  ordered  to  bear  the 
same.  In  the  burial  grounds  of  natives  may  now 
be  seen  marble  monuments  (white  man  totem) 


176  TOTEMISM 

with  the  salmon,  the  grampus  and  other  totemic 
figures  chiselled  on  them.  Not  a  few  natives  have 
tattooed  on  their  person  their  totemic  patron. 

There  is  no  object  in  the  Northland  of  greater 
attraction  to  the  tourist,  and  none  which  awakens 
so  much  speculation,  as  the  totem  pole.  When  a 
steamer  lands  at  a  native  village,  about  the  first 
thing  the  tourists  ask  to  see  are  the  totem  poles. 
Of  these  there  are  four  classes — the  genealogical, 
historical  (or  commemorative),  legendary  and 
memorial  (or  mortuary). 

The  genealogical  pole  is  usually  erected  directly 
in  front  of  its  owner's  house  and,  as  the  name 
indicates,  gives  the  genealogy  of  the  family 
within.  The  wife's  totem  crowns  the  top,  next 
the  husband's  and  so  on  down.  Any  native  walk- 
ing along  and  seeing  the  pole  can  tell  at  a  glance 
the  clan  of  the  mother,  which  is  the  ruling  one 
of  the  house.  From  this  he  will  know  whether  or 
not  he  would  be  welcome  to  enter  and  stay  there. 
If  the  ruling  family  of  the  house  is  not  of  his 
totem  he  passes  on.  As  he  reads  on  down  the 
pole,  he  learns  the  totemic  connections  of  the 
entire  household. 

The  historic  or  commemorative  pole,  as  the  term 
implies,  recounts  some  special  and  important 
event  (as  regarded  by  the  owner  of  the  pole)  in 
the  history  of  the  particular  family  or  the 
chieftain  of  the  house.  Usually  such  events  as 
thrilling  conflicts  with  man  and  beast  and  cour- 
ageous triumphs  are  chronicled  on  these  monu- 
ments for  the  consideration  of  future  generations. 

The  legendary  pole,  as  the  term  indicates,  re- 
lates some  happy  legend  particularly  prized  by 
the  clan  of  the  one  who  has  erected  it.  Not  only 
are  there  legends,  but  songs,  that  are  peculiar  to 


TOTEM  POLE  WORKMANSHIP          177 

each  clan,  and  the  members  or  votaries  of  one 
clan  are  not  allowed  to  use  the  legends  and  songs 
of  the  others. 

The  memorial  or  mortuary  pole,  as  may  be  in- 
ferred from  the  term,  is  a  monument  erected  in  the 
burial-ground  to  the  memory  of  the  dead.  It  usu- 
ally carries  the  single  image  of  the  patron  animal 
of  the  deceased.  When  cremation  was  the  uni- 
versal custom  of  disposing  of  the  dead,  cavities 
were  made  in  the  back  of  the  mortuary  tablets 
in  which  to  deposit  the  ashes  of  the  deceased. 

As  soon  as  burial  became  the  general  custom 
the  totem  pole  began  to  decline,  and  to-day  there 
are  practically  no  totem  pole  builders  and  no  new 
ones  are  erected. 

Totem  poles  vary  in  height  from  a  few  feet  to 
fifty  or  more.  They  are  usually  very  costly,  not 
because  of  their  intrinsic,  but  for  their  senti- 
mental, value.  In  some  instances  they  are  valued 
at  three  or  four  thousand  dollars  each.  They  are 
carved  out  of  a  solid  tree  trunk  (usually  yellow 
cedar),  and  by  tools  of  the  native's  own  make, 
a  rude  adz  being  the  principal  one  used.  While 
some  are  crude  in  workmanship  and  hideous  in 
appearance,  others  are  beautifully  artistic  and 
pleasing  to  look  upon,  showing  the  workman  to  be 
of  no  mean  ability  as  a  carver.  Some  native  vil- 
lages abound  in  totem  poles,  while  others  have 
but  few,  and  some  none. 

The  march  of  civilization  is  fast  supplanting 
this  as  well  as  many  other  old-time  customs  of 
the  natives.  The  totems  now  standing  are  in 
process  of  rapid  decay,  being  not  only  covered 
with  moss,  but  having  spruce  trees  growing  out 
of  some,  thus  marking  their  age. 

At  Klinquan  are  great  slab  foundations  of  an- 


178  TOTEMISM 

cient  mammoth  communal  houses.  On  the  por- 
tions of  these  slabs  visible  to  the  eye  may  be  seen 
wonderful  totemic  carvings,  showing  that  in  olden 
times  even  the  very  foundations  of  their  houses 
carried  the  crest  of  clan  or  family,  wrought  there 
at  great  pains  and  expense.  Any  museum  could 
get  valuable  relics  from  this  field. 

A  number  of  houses  are  yet  seen  with  the  totem 
of  the  owner  painted  or  carved  on  the  front  gable. 
The  house  with  a  crest  thus  represented  on  it  is 
called  after  the  totem  it  bears.  If  of  the  crow- 
it  is  "  Yalkth-hit  "  (Crow-house) ;  of  the  bear,  it 
is  "  Hootz-Mt  "  (Brown  bear-house) ;  of  the  orca, 
or  grampus,  "  Keet-Mt  '•  (Whale-killer-house), 
and  so  on. 

The  brown  bear  and  the  grampus  are  consid- 
ered the  highest  symbols  of  power;  the  crow,  the 
highest  symbol  of  wisdom,  and  the  eagle,  of  pene- 
trating vision.  All  of  these  are  emblems  of  high- 
caste  families. 

The  mouse  (kootzeen)  and  the  snail  (talk)  are 
symbols  of  weakness  and  degradation,  and  are  the 
emblems  of  low-caste  families. 

Slaves  were  not  allowed  to  erect  totem  poles, 
nor  was  one  of  a  lower  caste  allowed  to  erect  a 
pole  as  high  or  as  elaborate  as  that  of  a  higher 
class  man.  This  would  be  considered  a  great 
shame  to  the  higher  caste  brother,  an  insult  he 
and  his  clan  would  not  permit.  Instances  have 
been  known  where  ambitious  fellows  of  a  lower 
caste,  having  erected  poles  higher  than  one  of 
a  higher  caste,  have  been  compelled  to  take  their 
totems  down  and  shorten  them. 

When  a  totem  is  crowned  with  a  hat,  the  num- 
ber of  rings  on  top  of  the  hat  indicate  the  number 
of  important  feasts  the  owner  has  given. 


NUMEROUS    CURIOS 


CLAN  EMBLEMS  179 

No  clan,  or  member  of  a  clan,  can  adopt  the 
totem  of  another  clan  with  impunity.  Wars  have 
been  precipitated  by  such  attempts.  Less  than  a 
decade  ago,  one  clan  in  Sitka  raised  the  Frog 
totem  which  was  claimed  by  another  phratry  than 
the  one  to  which  the  clan  appropriating  it  be- 
longed. Great  trouble  ensued  and  bloodshed  was 
averted  only  by  the  interposition  of  the  Federal 
authorities. 

A  few  years  ago  an  audacious  native  of  the  Auk 
village  at  Juneau  had  the  grampus  elaborately 
painted  on  the  inside  of  the  back  wall  of  his  house. 
This  little  piece  of  art  originally  cost  him  six 
hundred  dollars ;  but  before  he  was  through  with 
it  it  cost  him  much  more.  A  terrible  commotion 
followed,  as  he  was  not  entitled  to  use  the  keet 
as  his  crest.  The  row  was  on  for  a  long  time, 
and  the  affair  was  finally  settled  by  a  money 
payment. 

Some  of  the  reasons  assigned  for  the  original 
adoption  of  crests  are  interesting,  to  say  the 
least.  The  Kok-won-tons  claim  that  at  one  time 
the  eagle  rendered  valuable  assistance  to  a  mem- 
ber of  that  phratry,  who  in  time  turned  into  an 
eagle.  Hence  their  adoption  of  this  crest. 

The  Te-qoe-dy  claim  the  grizzly-bear  for  the 
reason  that  a  member  of  their  clan  married  a 
female  grizzly.  The  Kok-won-tons  also  claim 
this  as  one  of  their  crests,  affirming  that  they  ac- 
quired the  right  to  it  through  one  by  the  name  of 
Kat'thla. 

The  grampus  is  the  important  crest  of  the  Duck- 
la-wady  tribe,  a  branch  of  the  Eagle  phratry. 
They  adopted  this  for  the  reason  that  one  of  their 
tribe  made  the  first  grampus  that  ever  existed,  out 
of  a  piece  of  yellow  cedar.  The  Kok-won-tons  are. 


180  TOTEMISM 

privileged  to  use  this  crest  also.  The  great  leader 
and  speaker  of  the  Kok-won-tons  at  Sitka  turned 
his  Jceet  onyade  tzow  (grampus  high-caste  hat) 
into  the  Sheldon  Jackson  Museum  at  Sitka,  where 
it  is  one  of  the  interesting  objects  now  seen  in 
that  institution. 

A  man  and  his  wife  of  the  Kik-sud-dy  tribe 
were  out  hunting  one  day  when  they  heard  a  song. 
They  looked  for  some  time  before  they  could  lo- 
cate it.  Finally  they  discovered  that  it  came 
from  a  little  frog  in  the  stern  of  their  canoe.  The 
little  songster  was  taken  by  the  woman  and  cared 
for,  and  for  this  reason  the  frog  is  the  emblem 
of  the  Kik-sud-dies. 

The  woodworm  is  the  particular  crest  of  the 
Ga-nuk-ka'dies  since  a  woman  of  their  tribe 
suckled  the  legendary  woodworm. 

Whether  the  Hydahs  originated  the  crest  sys- 
tem and  totemism,  or  borrowed  them,  we  have  no 
means  of  knowing.  But  there  are  good  reasons 
for  believing  that  the  Thlingets  borrowed  them 
from  the  Hydahs.  Those  living  near  them  and 
having  the  most  to  do  with  the  Hydahs,  have  the 
most  totem  poles,  whereas  the  farther  away  you 
find  them  from  the  Hydahs  the  fewer  they  have 
and  the  meaner  they  are.  Then,  too,  the  Thlingets 
are  not  such  skilled  totemic  workmen  as  the 
Hydahs,  but  are  mere  imitators. 


xvm 

LEGENDS 

iHE  myths  and  legends  of  the  Thlingets  are 
legion.  As  they  have  no  written  language, 
all  of  their  legendary,  lore  is  handed  down 
to  posterity  orally  and  in  totemic  characters. 
From  time  immemorial  the  people  have  been  fond 
of  relating  their  folk-lore,  so  that  most  of  their 
legends  are  kept  fresh  in  the  minds  of  all.* 

•Mothers  and  grandmothers  are  much  given  to 
relating  legends  to  the  children.  Many  of  them 
are  told  to  point  a  moral  and  to  influence  children 
to  obey.  Samuel  Davis,  a  native,  writes:  "  One 
old  man  begins:  '  Once  a  little  boy  was  all  the 
time  playing;  when  his  parents  told  him  to  do 
anything  he  would  not  obey;  he  would  have  his 
own  way.  One  day  the  boy  came  home  about 
dark.  His  grandfather  told  him  this  world  was 
as  sharp  as  a  knife ;  a  little  boy  might  slip  upon 

*  "  Winter  is  the  time  for  the  gathering  of  our  people  at  their 
villages,  after  being  away  for  supplies  of  food  and  other  things 
for  their  comfort.  It  is  the  time  given  for  feasting  and  paying 
for  work  done  for  the  dead.  Almost  every  night  there  is  some- 
thing going  on — either  dances,  giving  of  feasts,  or  some  chief 
gives  a  smoking  party  (smoking  pipes).  Then  it  is  that  the  old 
people  get  in  their  stories  to  the  children,  all  sitting  around  the 
evening  fire  after  supper." — Samuel  Davis. 

"  At  the  funeral  of  Chiefs  the  traditions  and  history  of  the 
tribe  are  rehearsed." — "  Alaska,"  by  Sheldon  Jackson,  page  96. 

"These  people  have  an  oral  mythology  of  the  most  fabulous 
character,  handed  down  from  father  to  son." — "Alaska,"  by  M. 
W.  Bruce,  page  97. 

181 


182  LEGENDS 

it  any  time  if  not  careful.  With  that  the  boy 
began  to  stamp  his  foot  on  the  ground,  saying, 
"  Grandpa,  see  how  I  stamp  this  ground.  There 
is  plenty  of  room;  I  can't  fall  off."  While  saying 
these  words,  something  sharp  went  into  his  foot, 
and  it  became  swollen  and  painful.  The  next  day 
the  boy  died,  because  he  would  not  listen  to  his 
grandfather. ' 

"  Then  an  old  woman  has  her  say:  (  One  time 
a  little  boy  went  trapping  with  his  grandfather 
(it  was  a  time  when  people  made  slaves).  They 
had  camped  at  a  certain  cove  in  the  evening.  The 
old  man  thought  he  could  hear  some  one  in  the 
woods  behind  them,  but  would  not  let  the  boy 
know,  because  the  boy  would  be  frightened.  So 
the  old  man  said  to  the  boy,  "  Go  down  and  see 
if  the  canoe  is  well  fastened."  The  old  man  tried 
to  get  the  boy  down  to  the  canoe  first,  so  he  could 
run  after  him,  throw  him  into  the  canoe  and  push 
off  shore  before  the  people  could  catch  them  and 
make  slaves  of  them ;  but  the  boy  refused  to  obey. 
Again  he  was  told  to  go  down  to  the  canoe,  but 
again  he  said,  "  No."  The  old  man,  after  trying 
three  times  to  persuade  the  boy  to  go  to  the  canoe 
went  himself,  jumped  into  the  canoe,  and  pushed 
off  shore.  The  people  came  from  the  bushes  upon 
the  boy  and  made  a  slave  of  him.  That  is  the 
reason  why  boys  nowadays  do  as  they  are  told.'  " 

Again,  they  are  told  to  rebuke  a  person  for 
boasting  or  playing  the  hypocrite.  When  one  says 
that  he  is  very  old,  implying  thereby  that  he 
knows  much,  he  will  be  rebuked  with  the  story  of 
the  sculpin,  which  runs  thus:  Yalkth  (Crow)  saw 
sculpin  on  the  beach  and  hid  from  him  to  see  what 
he  would  do.  Sculpin  swam  out  on  the  ocean  and 
went  down  out  of  sight.  Yalkth  opened  the  door 


LEGEND  OF  CROW  AND  DEER         183 

of  the  ocean  and  went  to  the  house  of  sculpin, 
which  was  under  a  rock,  and  said  to  it,  "  My 
younger  brother,  this  is  you,  is  it  1  "  Sculpin  dis- 
owned him  as  such.  Yalkth  insisted  that  he  was 
his  older  brother.  The  sculpin  said,  "  I  cannot 
be  your  younger  brother  for  I  am  a  very  old  per- 
son. "  The  Crow  answered:  "  I  want  you  to  be 
next  to  me.  There  will  be  many  sculpins,  but  you 
shall  be  the  head  one."  So  the  mighty  Crow 
threw  sculpin  up  into  the  sky,  where  he  is  now 
seen  (the  Pleiades  or  the  Dipper). 

So  to  one  who  boasts  that  he  knows  because  he 
is  old,  it  is  said,  ' '  If  sculpin  could  not  make  Crow 
believe  that  he  was  so  old,  neither  can  you  make 
us  believe  that  you  are  so  old  and  know  so  much. ' ' 

Natives  say  of  a  hypocritical  mourner  at  a 
funeral,  "  He  is  acting  as  Crow  did  when  he  killed 
his  friend,  the  deer."  The  story  goes  that  Yalkth 
saw  a  nice  fat  deer,  and  said  to  it,  "  My  friend, 
this  is  you,  is  it?  '  He  then  invited  the  deer  to 
cross  a  deep  canyon  on  a  rotten  log.  The  deer 
objected  because  he  saw  that  the  log  was  rotten. 
Yalkth  walked  across  it  to  convince  his  friend  that 
it  would  bear  him.  The  deer  then  attempted  to 
cross,  but  the  log  broke  and  he  fell  to  the  bottom 
of  the  canyon  and  was  killed.  Yalkth  then  went 
down  and  feasted  on  him.  After  gorging  himself, 
he  pretended  to  be  very  sorry  for  the  deer  and 
claimed  that  the  wild  animals  had  devoured  him. 

Stories  are  told  to  rebuke  and  discourage  one 
who  shows  an  ambition  to  marry  another  of  a 
higher  caste ;  to  inculcate  honesty,  thrift  and  self- 
respect;  to  warn  husbands  to  be  good  to  their 
wives  lest  they  should  lose  them;  to  keep  girls 
from  acting  foolishly,  etc. 

Many  of  their  legends  assume  to  explain  the 


184  LEGENDS 

origin  of  things  and  the  mysteries  of  existing  phe- 
nomena. One  tells  of  the  creation  of  the  world. 
Yalkth  (the  immense  imaginary  bird)  is  the 
mighty  Creator. 

Other  legends  claim  to  give  us  the  origin  of 
man,  of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  of  the  whale- 
killer  and  of  other  animals. 

For  example,  the  origin  of  the  iniquitous  little 
mosquito  is  thus  given:  There  was  in  ancient 
times  a  great  giant,  cruel  and  very  bloodthirsty. 
His  passion  was  to  kill  men,  drink  their  blood 
and  eat  their  hearts. 

Many  men  tried  to  kill  the  giant,  but  were  un- 
able to  do  so  until  this  plan  was  conceived:  A 
man  pretended  to  be  dead  and  lay  down  on  his 
blanket.  The  giant  came  along  and  saw  him.  He 
felt  of  the  man's  flesh  and  found  that  he  was  still 
warm.  Then  he  began  to  gloat  over  him  and  say, 
"  I  will  eat  his  heart  and  drink  his  blood."  So 
he  lifted  up  the  man,  who  allowed  his  head  to 
hang  down  just  as  if  he  were  dead,  and  carrying 
him  into  his  house  laid  him  down,  and  then  went 
on  some  errand. 

Immediately  the  man  jumped  up  and  seized  a 
bow  and  arrow.  Just  then  the  son  of  the  giant 
came  in,  and  he  pointed  the  arrow  at  the  boy's 
head  and  asked  him  where  his  father's  heart  was, 
and  threatened  to  kill  him  if  he  did  not  tell.  The 
boy  answered  that  his  father's  heart  was  in  his 
heel. 

Then  the  giant  came  in  and  the  man  shot  the 
arrow  through  his  heel.  Just  as  the  giant  was 
dying,  he  said:  "  Though  you  burn  me,  I  will 
still  eat  you. ' ' 

After  the  giant  was  dead  the  body  was  cre- 
mated. Then  the  man,  in  derision,  took  the  ashes 


ORIGIN  OF  WHALE  TRIBE  185 

and  threw  them  to  the  winds.    But  each  particle 
of  the  ashes  became  a  mosquito. 

Nearly  every  tribe  has  some  legend  accounting 
for  the  origin  of  their  people. 

The  origin  of  the  Whale  tribe  is  thus  briefly 
told:  Many,  many  years  ago,  a  young  Stickeen 
boy  amused  himself  by  carving  a  small  image  of 
a  whale  and  sailing  it  about  on  the  water.  The 
sport  was  quietly  indulged  in  from  time  to  time, 
until  on  one  eventful  day  the  piece  of  cedar  wood 
turned  into  a  live  whale  of  unusual  size  and  swam 
away.  The  boy  was  surprised  and  alarmed,  of 
course,  and  ran  home  to  tell  his  parents  of  what 
had  taken  place.  His  father  and  mother,  grown 
wise  as  the  years  had  passed  over  them,  knew  at 
once  that  their  son  was  destined  to  become  a  great 
man ;  he  was  to  be  the  father  of  a  new  tribe  that 
should  spread  abroad  throughout  the  land,  great 
and  powerful.  And  so  we  find  it  to-day. 
Branches  of  the  Whale  tribe  are  to  be  found  in 
many  villages,  and  wherever  found  they  are  able 
to  hold  their  own  in  the  affairs  of  life. 

The  totem  of  the  Da-se-ton'  of  Killisnoo  is  the 
beaver.  Some  of  the  tribe  captured  a  small 
beaver  and  kept  it  as  a  pet.  In  time  it  began  to 
compose  songs.  One  day  the  masters  of  the 
beaver  found  two  beautifully  carved  salmon-spear 
handles  near  the  foot  of  a  tree  by  a  salmon  stream. 
These  were  carried  home,  and  when  the  beaver 
saw  them  he  claimed  that  he  made  them.  Some- 
thing was  said  that  offended  him,  when  he  began 
to  sing  songs  like  a  person.  While  he  was  doing 
this  he  seized  a  spear  and  thrust  it  through  his 
master's  chest,  killing  him  instantly.  Then  he 
threw  his  tail  down  upon  the  ground  and  the  earth 


186  LEGENDS 

on  which  that  house  stood  caved  in.  The  beaver 
had  dug  the  earth  out  from  under  it.  It  is  from 
this  incident  that  the  Da-se-ton  claim  the  beaver 
as  their  crest. 

The  wolf  is  the  crest  of  the  Kok-won-ton'  tribe. 
There  are  two  versions  of  how  the  wolf  came  to 
be  adopted  as  their  totem.  One  is  that  a  member 
of  the  tribe  met  a  wolf  with  a  bone  in  his  mouth. 
"  What  makes  you  so  lucky?  "  asked  the  man. 
The  wolf  turned  and  fled.  The  following  night  he 
dreamed  that  he  came  to  a  very  fine  village,  the 
village  of  the  Wolf  people.  The  wolf  he  had 
spoken  to  the  previous  day  came  to  him  and  told 
him  something  to  make  him  very  lucky,  saying, 
"  I  am  your  friend."  He  was  very  thankful  for 
the  kind  treatment  of  the  man.  For  this  reason 
the  Kok-won-tons  have  used  the  wolf  for  their 
crest. 

The  other  version  is  that  the  man  met  with 
some  monster  wolves  while  out  hunting.  One 
spoke  up  and  told  the  others  not  to  kill  him,  and 
for  this  reason  the  wolf  is  now  the  tribal  totem. 

The  earthquake  is  thus  explained:  Underneath 
the  earth  stands  an  old  woman  in  a  bent  position. 
On  her  back  rests  a  pillar  and  on  top  of  this  rests 
the  earth.  Ydlkth,  in  an  evil  mood,  tries  to  shove 
the  old  woman  from  her  position.  She  topples 
but  does  not  fall.  When  she  topples  this  causes 
the  earth  to  quake.  If  ever  Yalkth  succeeds  in 
pushing  her  down,  the  world  will  come  to  an  end. 
The  name  of  this  Thlinget  Atlas  is  Hd-ta-ye  sha- 
nuk'ko  ( old-woman-under) . 

The  Thunder  Bird,  by  flapping  his  wings  or 
even  by  moving  one  of  his  quills,  causes  the 
thunder,  and  the  wink  of  his  eye  produces  the 
lightning. 


TOPKNOT  OF  BLUEJAY  187 

The  reason  why  human  beings  die  is  explained 
in  this  manner:  The  young  Crow  endeavoured  to 
make  man  out  of  rock  and  out  of  a  leaf  at  the  same 
time,  but  the  rock  was  slow  while  the  leaf  was 
very  quick.  Therefore  human  beings  came  from 
the  leaf,  and  because  leaves  wither  and  die,  there- 
fore men  grow  old,  wrinkle  and  die. 

The  bluejay  came  thus  by  his  topknot:  YalJcth 
practised  a  deception  on  the  squirrel  and  bluejay. 
The  latter,  becoming  angry  at  this,  had  the  bold- 
ness to  go  to  YalktJi  and  upbraid  him  for  it. 
Yalktli  seized  him  by  the  feathers  of  his  head  and 
pulled  them  up  in  a  bunch. 

The  story  goes  that  a  man  and  his  wife  were 
living  at  a  certain  fort.  Disease  had  destroyed 
their  relatives,  and  they  thought  to  give  a  great 
feast  in  their  memory.  One  day  an  iceberg  floated 
near  their  dwelling.  They  took  it  in  and  treated 
it  as  a  guest.  Much  oil  was  poured  into  the  fire, 
and  dishes  of  berries  and  other  food  were  placed 
before  it.  The  ice  gave  forth  a  squeak  that  could 
not  be  understood,  but  was  really  an  invitation 
to  the  dead  relatives  to  partake  of  the  feast.  For 
this  reason  when  an  iceberg  drifts  near  a  canoe 
the  occupants  give  it  tobacco,  saying,  "  Ok-yeet- 
s£e-e  "  (My  son's  daughter)  or  "  Ok-yeet-shut'e  '' 
(My  son's  wife). 

Myths  and  legends  were  the  first  efforts  of 
primitive  man  to  account  for  the  cause  of  things. 
Crude  as  some  of  them  are,  they  yet  evince  the 
awakening  of  human  thought.  The  myth-builders 
were  the  primitive  philosophers.  While,  in  many 
instances,  their  legends  are  absurd,  yet  we  should 
be  charitable  in  our  criticism,  remembering  that 
they  were  originated  out  of  ignorance.  They  ap- 
peared reasonable  to  the  people  of  their  age, 


188  LEGENDS 

else  they  would  not  have  been  so  influenced  by 
them. 

The  Thlingets  have  legends  of  notable  events, 
as,  for  instance,  of  a  flood,  from  which  only  a  few 
people  were  saved.  These  became  separated, 
hence  the  diversity  of  speech  among  them.  The 
Mount  Ararat  of  this  flood  is  located  not  far  from 
Shakan  on  Prince  of  Wales  Island. 

Numerous  are  their  legends  of  wonderful  ex- 
ploits. Let  it  suffice  to  instance  only  two  or  three : 

Two  brothers  were  hunting  when  they  killed  a 
porpoise.  While  skinning  it  as  their  canoe  moved 
along,  they  saw  a  devilfish  approaching.  At  once 
they  prepared  to  battle  with  the  monster,  one  of 
them  handling  a  spear  and  the  other  a  sharp  knife. 
When  the  devilfish  came  to  the  surface  and 
reached  out  his  tentacles  to  embrace  them,  he  was 
such  a  horrid-looking  creature  that  the  man  who 
held  the  knife  became  frightened  and  jumped 
right  into  his  mouth.  He  was  swallowed  up  so 
quickly  that  he  could  do  nothing.  This  left  the 
brother  with  the  spear  to  fight  the  monster  single- 
handed.  He  succeeded  in  killing  him,  but  not  until 
after  the  octopus  had  entwined  his  slimy  arms 
around  his  canoe ;  so  when  the  dead  monster  began 
to  sink  he  took  the  canoe  with  him,  too.  However, 
in  due  time  they  all  floated  up  on  a  narrow  point. 
Here  the  devilfish  was  cut  open,  when  lo,  the  man 
that  was  swallowed  was  found  alive  and  none  the 
worse  for  his  tenancy  in  the  monster's  belly. 

A  certain  man  caught  two  whales  and  tried  to 
swim  ashore  with  them.  After  swimming  all  night 
he  succeeded  in  landing  them.  But  when  he  did 
so  the  raven  called  and  he  died.  When  the  raven 
croaked  his  wife  knew  what  had  happened,  but 
she  would  not  go  out  of  the  house  to  see  her  dead 


TOTEM  IN  PIONEER  SQUARE,  SEATTLE  189 

husband.  Her  mother,  however,  discovered  the 
two  whales  and  the  dead  husband,  who  had  now 
turned  into  a  monster,  lying  on  the  beach.  Soon 
all  the  people  heard  about  the  strange  creature 
lying  with  the  whales  and  went  to  see  it.  At  last 
the  wife,  who  was  a  chief's  daughter,  went  out 
to  the  place,  crying  as  she  went.  The  people  were 
astonished  at  her  conduct,  and  asked:  "  What 
does  that  high-caste  girl  mean  by  calling  the  mon- 
ster her  husband?  "  As  soon  as  the  girl  came 
near  her  mother  she  said:  "  Where  are  your 
spirits  now?  You  do  not  speak  the  truth.  You 
say  that  you  have  spirits  when  you  have  none. 
If  you  had,  this  would  not  have  happened  to  my 
husband."  The  people  became  very  much  ex- 
cited and  listened  with  great  interest  to  the  girl 
as  she  talked  to  her  mother.  Finally  the  widowed 
girl  said  to  the  people,  "  Some  of  you  that  are 
clean  come  and  help  me."  Her  husband  had  died 
in  the  act  of  holding  the  jaws  of  the  monster 
apart.  When  the  people  recognized  this  they  were 
more  surprised  than  ever,  and  said,  "  He  must 
have  been  captured  by  that  remarkable  creature. ' ' 

Many  of  these  legends  of  wonderful  exploits 
are  recorded  on  totem  poles.  The  totem  now 
standing  in  Pioneer  Square  in  the  city  of  Seattle 
gives  the  tale  of  a  devoted  girl  who  lost  her  life 
in  an  attempt  to  reach  the  bedside  of  her  dying 
sister.  The  latter  lived  far  away  on  the  Nass 
river.  As  soon  as  the  sister  in  health  heard  of 
her  condition,  she  set  out  on  the  long  journey  to 
see  the  dying  one,  but  her  frail  canoe  was  upset 
on  the  river  and  she  was  drowned.  The  totem 
was  erected  in  honour  of  this  brave  sister. 

Many  queer  legends  are  recorded  on  the  totems 
erected  inside  of  the  houses. 


190  LEGENDS 

On  one  of  these  slabs  in  a  house  at  Kluckwan, 
a  man  is  depicted  in  violent  action  among  beasts. 
The  explanation  is  that  a  certain  man,  impelled 
by  taunts,  determined  to  become  very  strong.  To 
this  end  he  exercised  and  exposed  himself  to  the 
rugged  elements.  He  would  get  out  of  bed  very 
early  in  the  morning,  break  icicles  from  the  eaves 
of  the  house,  place  them  under  his  arms  and  then 
stand  in  the  cold  water  of  the  river.  He  would 
then  call  for  the  Cold  (believing  it  to  have  per- 
sonality) to  come  from  the  north.  Finally  he  be- 
came strong  enough  to  break  the  strong  part  of 
a  tough  tree.  Then,  in  time,  he  went  out  to  fight 
with  whales.  He  would  catch  them  by  the  tails 
and  tear  their  tails  apart.  Finally  he  tore  the 
stomach  out  of  one,  inflated  it  and  got  inside  of 
it  and  floated  off,  no  one  knew  where. 

While  floating  around  in  this  stomach  (Jonah- 
like),  he  composed  songs,  which  are  now  used  as 
tribal  songs  by  his  tribe.  This  stomach  was 
found  (according  to  the  story  of  the  people),  and 
became  the  property  of  his  tribe.  They  kept  it 
many  years  and  finally  burned  it. 

In  the  same  village  with  this  curious  house 
totem  may  also  be  seen  a  large  mask,  the  image 
of  the  woman  who  adopted  the  worm.  She  suckled 
this  worm  as  she  would  a  babe,  and  raised  it. 
When  grown,  the  worm  went  under  the  houses 
and  shook  them  down  (an  earthquake,  perhaps). 
This  woman  composed  songs  that  now  belong  to 
the  Crow  tribe.  None  other  than  members  of  this 
tribe  can  use  these  songs. 

The  tribe  had  a  mask  made  to  represent  this 
remarkable  woman.  It  is  now  considered  a  very 
valuable  heirloom.  It  is  ugly,  yet  no  one  would 
be  allowed  to  make  fun  of  it. 


CONCERNING  MT.  EDGECUMBE        191 

It  is  rather  remarkable  that  while  the  natives 
of  Kluckwan  have  made  so  much  of  this  woman 
who  adopted  the  worm,  yet  according  to  their 
traditions  she  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Wrangell. 

In  front  of  the  Sheldon  Jackson  School,  at  Sitka, 
there  is  a  large  rock  just  at  the  edge  of  high- 
water  mark.  Many,  taking  the  walk  from  the 
town  to  Indian  river,  sit  on  this  rock  as  the  half- 
way resting  place.  It  is  known  as  the  "  Blarney 
Stone, "  and  is  interwoven  with  several  Indian 
legends. 

Mt.  Edgecumbe,  an  extinct  volcano  within 
twenty  miles  or  so  of  Sitka,  is  the  seat  of  several 
legends.  It  is  claimed  that  the  old  woman  who 
supports  the  world  on  her  shoulders  went  down 
this  volcano  to  the  underworld.  It  is  further  said 
that  Tschak  (the  great  Eagle)  picked  up  whales 
out  of  the  ocean  and  carried  them  to  the  top  of 
this  distinguished  mountain.  In  verification  of 
this  claim,  it  is  said  that  great  heaps  of  whale 
bones  may  be  found  there. 

It  certainly  is  a  very  inviting  spot  for  the  un- 
tutored mind  to  conjure  with.  To  the  tourist,  this 
venerable  volcano  is  worth  travelling  many  miles 
to  see.  On  a  clear  day,  as  viewed  from  Sitka,  it 
is  a  pearl  of  beauty  adorning  the  landscape. 

On  a  mountain  top  back  of  Kluckwan  there  is 
a  lake  which  is  a  fruitful  source  of  mysteries  and 
myths.  There  are  certain  rocks  in  the  Chilkat 
river  which  are  said  to  be  petrified  people.  These 
people  belonged  to  the  Crow  tribe  and  were  com- 
ing from  the  interior  at  the  time  of  this  fearful 
calamity.  Just  why  they  met  with  this  fate,  the 
writer  was  not  informed.  Perhaps  unguardedly 
they  made  fun  of  some  object,  or  some  foolish 
boast  as  to  what  they  could  do. 


192  LEGENDS 

In  the  valley  back  of  the  town  of  Skagway  lives 
an  old  woman  with  a  wonderful  blowing  capacity. 
This  is  why  the  winds  come  tearing  down  the 
valley  and  keep  the  ground  free  from  snow. 
Madam  Skoog-wa  (Skagway  is  a  corruption  of 
this  word)  blows  it  all  away  when  she  pleases. 

It  is  remarkable  how  generally  known  the  leg- 
ends of  the  Thlingets  are  among  the  people. 
Though  their  country  is  large  and  communities 
are  widely  separated,  yet  the  entire  people  are 
familiar  with  these  legends. 

Naturally  the  traditions  will  vary  some  as  told 
by  different  ones.  In  substance,  however,  there 
is  remarkable  agreement. 


XIX 
NATIVE  JUEISPEUDENCE 

IN  the  accepted  sense  of  the  term,  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  government  with  the  natives. 
They  have  no  courts,  jails,  police  nor  statutory 
laws ;  in  short,  nothing  corresponding  to  civilized 
government.  They  have  no  such  thing  as  trials. 
All  grievances,  offences  and  injuries  are  settled 
according  to  tribal  demand.  The  tribe  or  clan 
takes  up  its  member 's  cause,  and  settlements  are 
made  according  to  the  nature  of  the  offence,  or 
injury,  and  the  standing  of  the  injured.  The  tribe 
of  the  injured  party  determines  the  amount  neces- 
sary to  settlement. 

Wounded  feelings,  as  well  as  injuries  of  the 
body  and  invasion  of  property  rights,  have  to 
be  atoned  for.  Any  crime  may  be  paid  for  on  a 
money  basis,  but  while  they  usually  demand  life 
for  life,  it  is  not  necessarily  the  life  of  the  mur- 
derer. It  is  more  often  the  life  of  another,  and 
an  entirely  innocent  person. 

If  a  high-caste  native  kills  one  of  a  lower  caste, 
it  is  not  the  one  who  did  the  killing  that  is  taken, 
but  one  equal  in  station  to  the  one  killed.  The 
same  holds  good  if  one  of  a  lower  caste  kills  one 
of  a  higher.  If  one  higher  than  the  one  killed 
is  taken,  then  the  killing  has  to  go  on  until  it  is 
considered  equal. 

If  a  woman  kills  a  man,  not  the  woman,  but 

193 


194  NATIVE  JURISPRUDENCE 

some  man  of  her  tribe  must  be  taken,  as  a  woman 
is  not  considered  the  equal  of  a  man. 

If  a  man  kills  a  woman,  not  the  murderer,  but 
some  woman  of  his  tribe  is  taken. 

An  Indian  doctor,  while  drunk,  beat  the  head 
of  his  wife  to  a  pulp  with  a  club.  The  tribe  of 
the  murdered  woman  demanded  the  life  of  the  doc- 
tor's sister.  These  substitutions  were  always 
bravely  assumed,  as  it  was  regarded  great  cow- 
ardice for  one  to  refuse  the  office  of  substitute. 

When  this  sister  was  informed  that  she  was 
wanted,  she  boldly  surrendered  herself  to  be 
killed.  In  this  case,  however,  the  opposite  tribe 
were  afraid  her  people  would  kill  more  of  them, 
so  the  case  was  settled  by  a  blanket  payment. 

This  was  generally  the  mode  of  settlement  when 
a  rich  or  high-caste  native  killed  one  much  in- 
ferior to  himself. 

If  a  white  man  kins  a  native,  the  murdered 
man's  friends  are  not  particular  as  to  what  white 
man  they  kill  in  turn,  so  they  get  one  whom  they 
deem  of  equal  station.  Some  years  ago,  at  Wran- 
gell,  a  drunken  row  between  United  States  soldiers 
and  natives  resulted  in  the  hanging  of  a  native. 
The  friends  of  the  man  who  was  hanged  killed  an 
innocent  trader.  In  another  case,  a  white  man 
and  his  wife  were  killed  by  natives  because  they 
could  not  account  for  the  sudden  disappearance 
of  two  of  their  number.  Because  of  this  custom, 
more  than  one  white  man  has  mysteriously  dis- 
appeared in  Alaska. 

Accidental  injuries,  or  killing  in  self-defence, 
must  be  atoned  for  precisely  the  same  as  if  pre- 
meditated. A  youth  accidentally  shot  and  killed 
his  father.  His  father's  tribe  immediately  de- 
manded the  life  of  the  youth  (father  and  son  are 


INSTANCES  OF  JURISPRUDENCE       195 

of  opposite  tribe).  The  son  was  willing^to  sur- 
render Ms  life,  but  in  this  case  compassion  was 
shown  and  the  matter  settled  on  a  money  basis. 

Near  Angoon,  some  years  ago,  a  howitzer  of  a 
whaling  crew  burst  and  killed  one  or  two  natives 
that  were  employed  on  the  vessel.  The  natives 
in  turn  killed  two  white  men  for  the  accident. 

A  drunken  native,  infatuated  with  a  girl,  made 
a  fiendish  attempt  to  ravish  her.  While  battering 
in  her  door  to  carry  out  his  brutal  purpose,  he  was 
shot  and  killed  by  her  people.  For  this  justifiable 
piece  of  homicide,  a  man  had  to  pay  his  life,  and 
that  man  was  none  other  than  the  girPs  husband 
and  natural  protector. 

If  a  man  commits  suicide,  a  cause  is  always 
sought,  and  he  who  is  regarded  responsible  for 
the  cause  is  blamed  and  his  tribe  made  to  pay 
damages. 

In  fact  no  injury  or  loss  happens  to  a  Thlinget, 
whether  intentional  or  accidental,  without  his 
seeking  redress  and  damages.  For  this  reason 
every  Thlinget  is  liable  to  blame  and  damages 
when,  perhaps,  he  least  expects  it.  Often  when 
they  are  doing  a  good  turn  for  one  another  and 
are  deserving  of  thanks,  their  kindness  is  re- 
warded with  blame.  On  this  account  they  are 
very  cautious  what  they  do  for  one  another. 

A  woman  on  her  way  from  church  fell  on  the 
ice  and  hurt  herself.  For  this  she  blamed  the 
missionary  in  charge.  He  had  announced  the  Sun- 
day before  that  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  would  be  administered.  For  this  reason 
she  came,  and  she  argued  that  had  she  not  come 
she  would  not  have  fallen ;  hence  he  was  to  blame. 

A  girl  was  invited  to  go  to  Haines  for  her  own 
good.  While  there  she  met  with  an  injury  with 


196  NATIVE  JURISPRUDENCE 

which  her  friends  had  nothing  to  do,  by  being 
thrown  out  of  a  wagon.  The  .relative  that  in- 
vited her  to  come  to  Haines  was  blamed  for  the 
injury  and  his  tribe  made  to  pay  damages. 

This  same  girl  invited  a  young  man  to  accom- 
pany her  from  one  place  to  another,  the  distance 
being  only  a  few  miles.  They  had  to  ford  a  river. 
While  doing  so  the  wagon  was  swept  away,  and 
the  young  man,  and  four  others  in  the  party,  were 
drowned.  The  girl  was  saved.  While  she  was  in 
no  way  to  blame  for  the  accident,  yet  she  was  held 
responsible  for  the  drowning  of  the  young  man, 
and  her  tribe  was  called  upon  for  heavy  damages. 

This  feature  of  their  sense  of  justice  strikes  one 
as  being  not  only  unjust,  but  often  extremely 
ludicrous. 

A  man  attended  the  funeral  of  another.  He  felt 
so  sad  that  he  resorted  to  the  whiskey  bottle  to 
drown  his  sorrow.  He  succeeded  in  more  thor- 
oughly doing  so  than  he  had  planned,  as  it  killed 
him.  Whether  it  had  more  than  the  usual  amount 
of  poison  in  it,  or  he  drank  too  much,  we  do  not 
know.  At  any  rate,  his  tribe  wanted  damages 
for  the  death  of  their  member,  so  they  held  re- 
sponsible the  clan  of  the  man  whose  funeral  he 
had  attended.  The  argument  was  that  if  their 
man  had  not  attended  the  funeral  he  would  not 
have  been  so  sad ;  and  had  he  not  been  so  sad,  he 
would  not  have  drunk  the  whiskey;  and  had  he 
not  drunk  the  whiskey  he  would  not  have  died. 
Consequently  the  family  that  gave  the  funeral 
were  to  blame. 

One  native  loaned  another  his  gun.  The  bor- 
rower, unfortunately,  shot  off  his  finger.  The 
man  who  loaned  the  gun  was  held  responsible,  as 
the  tribe  of  the  injured  man  argued  that  had  he 


LUDICROUS  CASES  197 

not  loaned  the  gun  their  man  would  not  have  lost 
his  finger. 

A  few  years  ago  one  of  the  small  boys  of  the 
mission  armed  with  a  sling  of  David's  variety 
was  throwing  stones  toward  the  ocean,  and  like 
the  man  who  shot  his  arrow  in  the  air,  this  boy 
did  not  know  that  one  of  his  rocks  struck  a  cord- 
wood  splitter  on  the  beach  in  the  head.  When  it 
hit  the  man  he  tried  to  die  and  when  he  found  he 
couldn't,  he  went  to  the  mission  superintendent 
and  demanded  five  blankets.  The  superintendent 
offered  to  pay  the  doctor's  bill  but  refused  to 
listen  to  any  talk  of  damages.  The  man  departed 
in  a  wrathful  mood.  After  several  days  a  relative 
of  the  boy  who  threw  the  stone  called  at  the  office 
and  asked  to  take  the  boy  from  the  school.  When 
refused  he  became  angry,  declared  that  he  had 
paid  the  boy's  debts,  and  now  the  boy  had  to  work 
for  him.  The  superintendent,  by  questioning  the 
man,  found  that  the  cordwood  splitter  had  gone 
to  this  man  and  demanded  the  five  blankets  and 
received  them.  Up  to  the  present  date  the  man 
hasn  't  been  able  to  get  either  boy  or  blankets  from 
the  mission. 

A  woman  hired  a  young  man  to  convey  some 
lumber  on  his  boat  from  a  certain  sawmill  to  a 
spot  where  she  wanted  to  erect  a  cabin.  While 
he  was  loading  the  lumber  on  his  boat,  the  woman 
went  down  on  the  wharf  to  look  after  the  matter. 
On  her  way  a  gust  of  wind  caught  her  and  carried 
her  off  the  wharf  and  she  sustained  some  injuries. 
The  blame  was  attached  to  the  young  man.  The 
argument  was  that  had  he  not  consented  to  take 
the  lumber  she  would  not  have  gone  on  the  wharf ; 
hence  his  tribe  must  pay  damages. 

A  native  was  working  in  the  great  Treadwell 


198  NATIVE  JURISPRUDENCE 

mine  at  Douglas.  He  quit,  and  was  on  his  way 
to  the  steamer  returning  home  when  he  stepped 
into  the  post-office  and  found  a  letter  containing 
a  dun  for  one  hundred  dollars.  Not  having  the 
money,  he  concluded  to  go  back  to  work,  earn  the 
money  and  pay  the  bill.  In  less  than  a  week  he 
fell,  with  several  others,  down  a  shaft  in  a  hoisting 
cage  and  received  injuries  which  paralyzed  him 
for  life.  At  this  writing  he  is  living,  but  abso- 
lutely helpless,  and  cannot  live  long.  The  one 
who  wrote  him  the  letter  is  held  responsible  for 
his  injuries  and  will  be  for  his  death.  The  tribe 
of  the  writer  of  the  letter  will  have  to  pay  heavy 
damages. 

The  son  of  a  chief  was  shot  through  the  cheek, 
merely  sustaining  a  flesh  wound;  two  men,  taken 
from  the  tribe  of  the  one  who  did  the  shooting, 
were  killed  for  the  injury.  A  cut  or  wound  in 
the  face  is  considered  a  matter  of  the  deepest 
shame,  and  heavy  liabilities  are  always  demanded 
for  it. 

A  high-caste  man  had  the  tip  of  his  ear  bitten 
off  in  a  drunken  brawl.  A  low-caste  man  was 
killed  for  this  injury. 

A  high-caste  woman  was  accidentally  struck  by 
a  man  who  was  lifting  an  oolihan  scoop.  So  keen 
was  the  sense  of  shame  of  her  people  that  one  of 
their  clan  killed  the  innocent  offender.  But  in 
this  instance,  the  matter  did  not  rest  there.  The 
man's  clan  made  war  on  the  woman's,  and  several 
fell  before  the  melee  came  to  an  end. 

If  a  father  injures  his  own  child,  whether  acci- 
dentally or  not,  his  tribe  is  liable  for  damages 
to  his  wife's  people.  If  a  husband  injures  his 
wife,  his  tribe  must  pay  damages  to  her  tribe. 

In  the  days  of  slavery,  any  native  saved  from 


SYSTEM  OF  LOANING  199 

drowning,  freezing,  starvation,  or  any  other  form 
of  death,  became  the  slave  of  the  one  who  rescued 
him. 

When  a  man  dies,  leaving  children,  their  ma- 
ternal uncles  and  aunts  assume  their  support  and 
care.  Another  relief  from  this  species  of  dis- 
tress is  that  the  surviving  husband  or  wife  takes 
another  partner  without  delay. 

Some  now  repudiate  this  old  system,  and  insist 
on  holding  the  property  in  the  family  after  the 
death  of  either  parent.  The  author  has  been 
called  upon  more  than  once  to  protect  both 
widowers  and  widows  in  their  property  rights 
after  the  decease  of  their  wives  or  husbands. 

When  a  Thlinget  loans  another  money,  he  ex- 
pects twice  as  much  in  settlement,  whether  the 
borrower  pays  the  sum  back  within  a  week  or  ten 
years. 

A  native  gives  for  the  purpose  of  having  others 
give  much  more  back  to  him,  not  so  much  for 
sweet  charity's  sake,  or  from  any  promptings  of 
generosity.  It  is  considered  a  shame  to  those  who 
receive  anything  if  they  do  not  give  back  from 
four  to  ten  fold  more. 

A  woman  gave  another  an  old  straw  hat.  The 
recipient  did  not  want  the  old  thing,  but  dare  not 
refuse  its  acceptance  for  fear  of  giving  offence. 
Ashamed  to  wear  it,  she  put  it  away  in  her  trunk. 
Some  months  went  by,  when  the  donor  came  and 
asked:  "  When  are  you  going  to  pay  me  for  that 
hat?  " 

A  young  man  invited  five  of  his  friends  to  dine 
at  a  restaurant.  The  meal  of  each  cost  twenty- 
five  cents.  After  dinner,  his  guests  took  him  to 
a  store  and  each  gave  him  two  dollars  with  which 
he  could  buy  anything  he  wished.  They  did  this 


200  NATIVE  JURISPRUDENCE 

to  keep  from  being  put  to  shame.  Large  sums  are 
exacted  for  services  rendered  about  the  dead. 
The  most  trifling  service,  such  as  putting  gloves 
on  the  hands  of  the  dead,  or  socks  on  his  feet,  or 
mourning,  must  be  well  paid  for.  Four  young 
men  acted  as  pallbearers  for  a  little  child.  The 
mother  gave  them  ten  dollars  each  for  this  slight 
service.  To  build  a  coffin,  dig  a  grave,  erect  a  grave 
fence  or  tombstone  commands  a  large  compensa- 
tion. This  is  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  the  na- 
tives are  not  satisfied  unless  they  spend  large 
amounts  on  the  dead. 

If  one  child  injures  another,  even  in  play  or 
accidentally,  the  parents  of  the  injured  one  de- 
mand damages  of  the  parents  of  the  child  that 
committed  the  offence.  Native  children  seldom 
quarrel  or  injure  one  another  when  playing,  and 
this  law  of  the  people  may,  in  a  measure  at  least, 
account  for  it. 

Old  grievances  that  supposedly  were  settled 
years  past  are  revived  for  the  purpose  of  extort- 
ing money  from  one  another. 

Forty  years  ago  a  fight  took  place  at  a  village 
known  as  Hootz-na-oo,  between  two  warring 
tribes.  A  woman  belonging  to  a  powerful  tribe  of 
the  Sitkans  was  killed.  The  life  of  another,  or 
a  heavy  payment  in  blankets,  was  demanded.  The 
matter  was  compromised  by  giving  a  powerful 
slave  to  one  of  the  chiefs  of  the  haughty  tribe 
of  the  woman  that  was  killed.  As  the  chief  prized 
this  slave  very  much,  on  account  of  his  strength, 
this  was  considered  a  satisfactory  settlement. 

The  slave  served  the  chief  faithfully  for  years. 
In  the  summer  of  1908  he  suddenly  died.  The 
tribe  then  decided  that  they  had  nothing  to  show 
for  the  death  of  the  woman  they  had  lost  years 


OLD  GRIEVANCES  201 

ago  and  finally  proceeded  to  the  village  of  Hootz- 
na-oo  for  another  payment.  Arriving  there,  they 
demanded  one  hundred  blankets.  After  some 
powwowing  they  were  paid  one  hundred  and 
twenty  blankets,  two  Chinese  trunks  and  two 
guns.  They  returned  to  Sitka  thoroughly  satis- 
fied with  what  they  received.  The  tribes  are  now 
good  friends  again  and  peace  reigns  between 
them. 

In  the  same  village,  about  fifty  years  ago,  a 
woman  was  insulted  by  a  man.  She  told  her  peo- 
ple and  they  counselled  her  to  insult  him  in  re- 
venge. This  she  did  publicly.  This  precipitated 
a  fight  between  his  people  and  hers,  which  re- 
sulted in  several  being  killed  on  both  sides.  A 
few  days  ago  a  party  from  the  man 's  tribe  came 
all  the  way  to  Juneau  (more  than  a  hundred 
miles)  to  demand  money  and  blankets  from  the 
woman 's  people  on  the  ground  that  when  they  had 
the  fight  years  ago  it  was  not  ended  equally,  hence 
they  were  yet  debtors  to  the  man's  tribe.  It  is 
astonishing  how  Thlingets  will  accede  to  such  ab- 
surd claims. 

If  a  wife  leaves  her  husband,  her  people  must 
return  all  that  was  given  them  for  her  dowry,  or 
its  equivalent,  to  the  husband  or  to  his  people. 

The  payment  of  all  artistic  totemic  work, 
whether  in  carving,  painting,  weaving  or  engrav- 
ing, is  practically  regulated  by  an  unwritten  law. 
All  such  work  is  done  by  those  of  an  opposite 
phratry  and  commands  extraordinary  prices.  The 
latter  is  due  to  the  skill  required  for  such  work, 
the  sentimental  value  placed  on  the  emblem,  and 
the  native's  pride  in  display. 

The  chief  has  the  ruling  voice  in  the  adjudica- 
tion of  all  affairs  involving  the  tribe.  What  he 


202  NATIVE  JURISPRUDENCE 

recommends,  the  tribe  contend  for.  There  is  no 
cessation  of  hostilities  until  a  satisfactory  settle- 
ment has  been  made.  This  is  one  reason  why 
tribes  yield  and  amicably  settle  any  and  all  dis- 
putes ;  for  with  them  nothing  is  settled  until  both 
sides  are  satisfied. 

Thus,  although  the  natives  have  no  legislative, 
executive  or  judiciary  department,  yet  they  have 
laws,  enforce  them  and  readily  submit  to  them. 

In  this  age  they  sometimes  get  a  double  dose 
of  law,  both  the  white  man 's  and  their  own.  They 
have  been  known  to  be  punished  in  the  courts  of 
the  former  and,  when  they  returned  to  their 
homes,  be  compelled  to  make  satisfaction  to  the 
natives  also. 

When  a  native  is  punished  in  a  white  man's 
court  the  aggrieved  natives  get  nothing.  This  is 
not  satisfactory.  They  want  as  redress  for  all 
injuries  a  money  or  property  consideration,  or 
they  are  not  satisfied.  For  this  reason  the  white 
man's  court  is  very  unsatisfactory  to  the  average 
native.  Hence  the  offender  is  sometimes 
11  pinched  "  twice  for  the  same  offence.  There 
is  this,  however,  to  be  said  in  favour  of  the  white 
man's  law,  that  when  punishment  is  meted  out  it 
is  to  the  offender,  while  native  redress  is  de- 
manded of  the  offender's  tribe,  who  may  be  alto- 
gether inculpable. 


XX 

MUSIC  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

NO  people  have  greater  love  for  music  and 
amusements  than  the  Thlingets.  From 
time  immemorial  they  have  had  their  own 
songs.  It  is  surprising  how  easily  and  quickly 
they  learn  to  sing  our  English  songs,  hymns  and 
anthems,  and  to  read  music.  Not  a  few  of  them 
can  play  the  organ  well,  when  they  have  never 
taken  a  lesson. 

A  few  years  ago  the  only  thing  they  had  that 
approached  a  musical  instrument,  was  a  rude 
drum.  Now  every  native  village  has  its  brass  or 
string  band,  many  of  their  homes  have  organs, 
and  nearly  every  one  a  gramophone  or  phono- 
graph. In  the  bands  are  native  boys  who  cannot 
speak  or  read  English,  yet  they  master  the 
musical  notes  without  the  slightest  difficulty. 

For  the  most  part,  these  bands  are  self-taught. 
Some  native  who  knows  a  little  more  about  music 
than  the  others  is  chosen  as  a  leader.  They  then 
work  out  their  own  musical  salvation,  not  with 
fear  and  trembling,  but  with  joy  and  perseverance. 
They  are  so  fond  of  it  that  they  do  not  consider 
any  amount  of  practice  a  task,  but  a  pleasure,  so 
they  practise  almost  incessantly  until  they  become 
proficient. 

Most  of  them  have  the  gift  of  song,  and  some 
of  them  have  exceedingly  fine  voices.  Congrega- 
tional singing  in  our  native  churches  is  spirited 

203 


MUSIC  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

and  good.  Their  own  native  songs  at  their  feasts 
and  dances  are  in  memory  of  the  dead  and  about 
the  exploits  of  the  great  and  of  their  patron 
animal.  Mothers  have  their  lullaby  songs  which 
they  sing  to  soothe  their  babes  to  sleep. 

Their  memorial  songs  used  at  feasts  and  pot- 
latches  are  very  sacred  and  the  people  believe 
they  receive  strength  from  them.  They  are  used 
only  on  special  occasions.  According  to  tradition 
they  were  composed  at  the  time  of  the  flood  (not 
the  flood  of  the  Bible,  but  of  native  tradition) 
and  relate  the  sad  events  of  that  terrible  visita- 
tion, such  as  the  finding  of  bodies  and  the  separa- 
tion of  their  clans.  Their  songs  of  more  recent 
composition  are  not  so  significant  as  their  older 
ones  and  are  composed  from  various  motives. 
They  relate  mostly  to  exploits  and  happenings  of 
one  kind  and  another,  some  of  them  having  little 
or  no  significance.  The  raven,  one  of  their  great 
patron  birds,  has  much  to  do  with  inspiring  songs. 
When  a  house  was  "  danced  together,"  as  many 
songs  were  sung  as  motions  were  made,  which, 
usually,  were  four  to  the  right  and  four  to  the  left. 
This  was  done  when  a  feast  was  given  after  the 
completion  of  a  house. 

Some  songs  were  sung  by  women  only.  Much 
of  their  so-called  singing  is  a  mere  weird  chant, 
which  to  the  white  man  is  very  monotonous  and 
depressing.  The  pitch  scarcely  varies  from  start 
to  finish.  These  chants  forcibly  remind  one  of 
witches,  hobgoblins  and  spirits.  It  is  the  peculiar 
construction  and  genius  of  their  songs  rather  than 
the  voices  of  the  singers  which  make  them  weird 
and  uncanny. 

All  kinds  of  amusements  and  sports  appeal 
strongly  to  these  people.  They  will  give  their 


AMUSEMENTS  205 

last  dime  to  see  anything  amusing  or  entertaining, 
and  they  welcome  anything  that  comes  along.  In 
the  era  when  low  dance-halls  flourished  in  our 
communities,  they  were  largely  patronized  by  na- 
tives, in  spite  of  their  vileness. 

It  is  this  fondness  for  amusement  and  enter- 
tainment, as  well  as  their  respect  for  their  cus- 
toms, that  gives  dancing  and  feasting  such  a  hold 
on  the  people.  The  white  man's  dance  is  now 
appealing  to  them,  and  not  a  few  are  already  its 
devotees.  We  fear  that  it  will  prove  a  detriment 
rather  than  a  blessing  to  them. 

In  their  socials,  all  kinds  of  amusing  games  are 
played  to  the  unbounded  delight  of  all  present. 
Their  laughter  is  a  spontaneous  outburst.  They 
care  little  for  games  that  require  much  mental 
effort,  and  they  eliminate  from  their  socials  and 
entertainments  everything  not  of  a  comic  and 
laughter-provoking  nature.  While  they  have 
many  original  games  of  their  own,  yet  they  have 
appropriated  a  number  from  the  white  people. 
Outside,  in  the  proper  season,  they  enter  with 
zest  into  all  kinds  of  athletic  sports.  Some  vil- 
lages have  strong  ball  teams.  Fourth  of  July  is 
the  big  day  of  the  year  for  outdoor  sports.  They 
leave  their  camps  wherever  they  are  and  come  into 
town  to  celebrate.  The  sports  of  the  day  are  base- 
ball, canoe-racing,  running,  jumping,  vaulting, 
throwing  the  weight,  rock-drilling  and  other 
things  too  numerous  to  mention.  Every  native 
who  can  crawl  out  of  bed  is  out  to  enjoy  the  sights. 
Not  one  of  the  long  list  of  sports  does  he  miss 
if  he  can  help  it.  This  is  the  day  when  all  are 
dressed  in  their  best.  Dresses  and  new  suits  are 
bought  for  the  occasion.  The  celebration  over, 
they  are  then  carefully  put  away  in  a  trunk, 


206  MUSIC  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

not  to  be  worn  until  the  holiday  comes  round 
again. 

In  their  socials,  the  most  popular  of  their  own 
games  is  what  they  call  "  ha-goo  "  (come  here!). 
They  choose  sides,  having  from  ten  to  twenty  or 
more  on  a  side.  Each  side  chooses  a  leader,  who 
is  given  a  flag.  This  leader  stands  out  in  front 
of  those  on  his  side.  Then  the  name  of  some  one 
on  the  opposite  side  is  called  out  with  the  invita- 
tion— "  Ha-goo  " — to  come  and  take  away  the  flag 
without  smiling  if  he  can  possibly  do  so.  When 
he  approaches  to  take  the  flag  they  do  and  say  all 
sorts  of  funny  things  to  make  him  smile.  If  he 
smiles,  he  has  to  leave  his  party  and  join  the  side 
with  the  flag.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  succeeds 
in  taking  the  flag  without  smiling,  then  all  that 
have  been  captured  from  his  side  are  released  to 
go  back  to  the  side  from  which  they  were  taken. 
In  this  way  they  try  to  pull  over  the  entire  op- 
posite side,  and  the  side  which  succeeds  in  doing 
this  is  the  winning  one.  This  game  affords  them 
lots  of  amusement.  Some  start  out  with  a  very 
serious  face,  determined  to  get  the  flag  with- 
out smiling,  but  have  to  succumb  before  they 
succeed  as  they  meet  the  volley  of  jokes,  witti- 
cisms and  wry  faces.  Then  comes  the  laugh  for 
all. 

The  girls  play  with  their  dolls  and  toys  of  all 
kinds,  and  the  boys  play  ball,  marbles,  fly  kites 
and  indulge  in  all  kinds  of  childish  games.  Coast- 
ing and  skating  are  favourite  winter  sports. 
Boiler-skating  is  quite  a  fad  with  the  native  boys 
and  girls.  In  several  places  in  the  territory  there 
are  large  rinks  run  by  white  men,  and  they  are 
liberally  patronized.  But  dancing  is  the  most 
popular  amusement  of  all. 


JOKES  AND  WITTICISMS  207 

Many  of  their  games  are  games  of  contest.  This 
is  carried  into  their  dancing.  They  also  have 
eating  contests.  The  original  native  spoon  is  a 
very  large  affair,  practically  a  ladle,  carved  out 
of  wood  or  horn.  One  of  these  will  hold  a  half 
pint  or  more  of  seal  oil.  At  times  they  vie  with 
one  another  to  see  who  can  drink  the  most  spoon- 
fuls of  this  nauseating  oil. 

They  are  very  fond  of  jokes  and  witticisms.  In 
their  feasts  and  other  public  gatherings  they  have 
a  great  deal  of  speech-making,  like  the  guests  at 
a  fashionable  banquet.  These  speeches  are  char- 
acterized by  wit  and  humour  that  frequently 
elicit  the  loudest  applause.  Of  course  some  of 
their  remarks  that  would  sound  tame  to  us  strike 
them  as  being  very  clever. 

In  this  connection  it  may  not  be  out  of  place 
to  mention  some  incidents,  amusing  and  other- 
wise, that  have  come  under  our  notice. 

A  noted  woman  of  Sitka  prayed  openly  in 
prayer-meeting  that  God  would  forgive  her  for 
the  sins  she  had  in  mind  to  commit  the  following 
week. 

A  pupil  of  one  of  our  mission  schools  reported 
that  another  boy  had  sworn  at  him.  The  culprit 
was  summoned  before  the  superintendent  and  ad- 
mitted that  he  was  guilty.  When  asked  what  evil 
things  he  had  said,  he  replied  that  he  called  his 
accuser  "  ham  and  eggs."  He  was  dismissed  with 
the  injunction  to  go,  and  l '  swear  ' '  no  more. 

At  a  funeral  we  saw  a  woman,  as  we  were  leav- 
ing the  house  with  the  corpse,  pick  up  a  phono- 
graph and  take  it  along  with  her.  As  we  had 
seen  them  carry  all  kinds  of  things  to  place  in 
and  around  the  graves  of  their  departed  ones,  even 
sewing-machines,  we  naturally  thought  she  was 


208  MUSIC  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

carrying  the  phonograph  for  the  same  purpose. 
But  as  soon  as  the  coffin  was  placed  in  the  wagon 
that  was  to  bear  it  to  the  cemetery,  the  music 
box  was  placed  on  top  of  the  coffin,  a  youth  jumped 
into  the  wagon  from  behind,  wound  up  the  ma- 
chine, put  on  a  record  and  set  it  to  squeaking  out 
a  funeral  march.  When  this  was  played  through 
it  was  started  again,  and  was  kept  playing  until 
we  arrived  at  the  grave.  As  soon  as  the  body  was 
committed  to  the  grave,  it  was  set  to  playing 
again,  and  when  we  left  the  cemetery  the  machine 
was  doing  its  utmost  to  soothe  their  sorrowing 
hearts. 

In  some  towns  it  has  become  very  stylish  to 
hire  a  hearse;  a  luxury  which  costs  ten  dollars. 
Eecently  we  held  a  funeral  at  which  they  started 
to  carry  the  coffin  to  the  cemetery,  a  distance  of 
about  a  mile.  The  procession  had  not  gone  more 
than  a  quarter  of  the  way  when  all  at  once  it  was 
decided  that  they  should  have  the  hearse — not  so 
much  to  relieve  the  men  who  were  carrying  the 
coffin,  but  for  the  looks  of  the  thing.  It  was  a 
cold,  stormy  day,  with  a  foot  or  more  of  snow  on 
the  ground.  The  coffin  with  the  corpse  was 
dropped  in  the  snow  and  the  procession  kept  wait- 
ing near  it  while  the  hearse  was  brought  to  convey 
the  remains  the  rest  of  the  way  to  the  cemetery. 
It  took  nearly  an  hour  to  get  the  vehicle,  and  all 
that  time  the  procession  stood  there  in  the  snow 
and  storm. 

We  see  queer  things,  not  only  at  burials,  but 
also  at  weddings.  It  is  rather  odd  to  see  two  old 
people  who  have  lived  together  for  thirty  or 
forty  years  and  have,  perhaps,  four  or  five  chil- 
dren, stand  up  to  be  married.  Yet  this  has  been 
done  in  several  instances.  They  had  lived  to- 


IN  CHURCH  209 

gether  in  the  Thlinget  way,  but  they  wanted  to 
be  married  the  white  man's  way. 

At  one  marriage,  the  bride,  seeing  that  the  cere- 
mony was  about  to  be  closed,  produced  a  ring  to 
be  placed  on  the  bridegroom's  finger. 

At  the  same  wedding  the  bridesmaid  turned 
her  back  to  the  officiating  minister  while  the  rest 
of  the  bridal  party  stood,  as  they  should,  facing 
him. 

Some  are  so  clumsy  that  they  blunder  in  trying 
to  get  into  position  and  in  trying  to  clasp  hands 
where  the  ceremony  calls  for  it. 

At  a  christening,  just  as  the  minister  was  about 
to  apply  the  water,  a  boy  of  four  years  took 
fright  and  ran  at  the  top  of  his  speed  down  the 
aisle  and  out  of  the  church. 

In  prayer-meetings  we  have  seen  mothers  pray- 
ing (standing,  with  eyes  closed)  with  babies  from 
a  year  to  two  years  old  kicking  and  squirming  in 
their  arms  enough  to  jolt  every  idea  out  of  the 
head  of  the  ordinary  white  woman ;  yet  they  have 
kept  right  on  praying  until  their  entreaty  was 
through. 

On  one  occasion  we  saw  a  man  who  was  blocked 
in  a  seat  by  three  women  get  up  and  climb  over 
the  backs  of  several  seats  in  order  to  get  out ;  and 
that  in  the  presence  of  a  large  congregation.  This 
he  did  rather  than  ask  the  women  to  let  him 
pass.  To  speak  to  the  women  would,  in  his 
estimation,  be  a  great  breach  of  propriety,  but 
climbing  over  the  seats  was  nothing  out  of  the 
way. 

Their  dogs  frequently  come  to  church  and  some- 
times it  requires  much  ingenuity  to  get  them  out. 
Eight  in  the  midst  of  the  service  some  one  will 
collar  a  dog  or  grab  him  by  the  tail  and  drag  him 


210  MUSIC  AND  AMUSEMENTS 

put  of  the  sanctuary  with  as  much  gravity  as  if 
it  were  part  of  the  service. 

When  the  natives  saw  a  steamhoat  for  the  first 
time  they  took  to  the  woods  through  fright.  They 
thought  it  was  some  huge  being  that  would  bring 
a  terrible  disease,  such  as  smallpox.  For  this 
reason  they  pulled  a  certain  native  vegetable  that 
resembles  our  carrot  and  is  peppery,  and  looked 
through  them  at  the  steamboat,  believing  that  this 
would  protect  them  from  the  disease.  They  were 
amazed  when  they  saw  men  walking  about  on  the 
"  fire-canoe." 

The  phonograph  was  a  great  wonder  to  them 
when  it  first  came,  and  they  flocked  to  see  and 
hear  the  w°nderful  box  that  could  talk  and  sing. 
They  readily  paid  a  quarter  to  hear  a  single  tune, 
and  one  white  man  reaped  a  financial  harvest  from 
them  for  letting  them  hear  his  machine. 

The  first  negro  that  appeared  in  their  country 
was  a  great  puzzle  to  them.  They  held  all  kinds 
of  theories  as  to  what  made  him  black.  Some 
maintained  that  he  had  lived  where  there  was  too 
much  smoke ;  others  that  he  lived  in  a  house  whose 
only  entrance  was  a  chimney,  and  that  he  became 
black  by  going  in  and  out. 

When  they  first  saw  a  man  with  a  wooden  leg, 
they  regarded  him  not  only  with  wonder,  but 
thought  him  a  very  comical  sight. 

The  man  who  could  take  off  his  hair  (wig)  was 
a  greater  wonder  to  them,  however,  than  the  man 
with  the  wooden  leg. 

But  the  most  wonderful  of  all,  and  the  one  that 
afforded  them  the  most  amusement  and  most  ex- 
cited their  curiosity,  was  the  man  who  could  take 
out  his  teeth.  One  of  them  made  the  discovery 
that  a  certain  storekeeper  could  do  this.  He  soon 


THE  FALSE  TEETH 

spread  the  news  among  his  people,  and  they 
flocked  to  the  store  to  see  the  wonderful  man. 
They  even  bluntly  asked  him  to  take  out  his  teeth. 
Seeing  his  opportunity  to  attract  them  to  his  store 
as  patrons,  he  did  so.  Their  amazement  knew  no 
bounds  when  they  saw  him  take  out  of  his  mouth 
a  full  set  of  uppers,  gum  and  all,  and  then  replace 
them.  Every  native  in  the  country  soon  heard 
of  this  remarkable  man,  and  many  of  them  made 
an  excuse  to  buy  something  just  to  get  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  storekeeper  remove  and  re- 
place his  teeth.  It  proved  to  be  a  splendid  ' l  ad  ' ' 
for  him. 

These  incidents  will  serve  to  show  how  impres- 
sionable they  are.  It  may  be  truthfully  said  that 
the  native,  with  his  little,  gets  more  real  enjoy- 
ment out  of  life  than  do  many  of  our  wealthy 
white  people  with  riches  at  their  command.  He 
has  fewer  wants  and  cares,  and,  above  all,  is  not 
greedy  for  riches.  Hence  we  find  more  content- 
ment and  true  enjoyment  of  life  in  the  homes  of 
these  humble  people  than  in  many  homes  of  our 
own  race. 


XXI 

MORALITY 

IT  cannot  be  denied  that  "  latitude  and  longi- 
tude make  broad  differences  as  to  what  con- 
stitutes vice  and  virtue.'7  The  ethics  of  the 
Chinaman  do  not  altogether  correspond  with  those 
of  the  American.  The  lower  the  scale  of  civiliza- 
tion the  wider  the  difference  in  what  constitutes 
vice  or  virtue. 

So  we  find  the  Thlingets  of  Alaska  measuring 
actions  by  a  different  standard  from  our  own. 
What  would  shock  us  they  regard  as  eminently 
proper.  On  the  other  hand,  what  we  approve 
they  would  condemn. 

They  see  no  impropriety  in  a  man  living  with 
a  woman  some  months  with  the  view  of  marrying 
her  providing  she  suits  him.  We  see  no  impro- 
priety in  a  man  escorting  another  man's  wife 
under  certain  circumstances,  whereas  they  think 
this  altogether  improper  and  reprehensible. 

Thousands  of  our  people  of  both  sexes  go  in 
bathing  together  right  in  public  every  summer. 
Nothing  could  be  more  shocking  to  the  natives  of 
Alaska  than  this. 

We  think  it  is  altogether  proper  for  brothers 
and  sisters  not  only  to  speak  to  each  other,  even 
after  the  sister  becomes  a  woman,  but  to  show 
their  affection  for  one  another.  The  Alaskan  na- 
tives, on  the  other  hand,  consider  it  the  proper 
thing  for  a  brother  to  sit  with  his  back  to  his 

213 


ETHICS  OF  THLINGETS 

sister  or  his  mother-in-law;  if  he  needs  to  com- 
municate with  them  it  must  be  through  a  third 
party,  or  in  such  a  manner  as  if  he  were  not  ad- 
dressing them. 

It  is  regarded  a  shameful  thing  for  a  married 
woman  to  speak  to  a  man  other  than  her  husband, 
or  to  be  seen  in  the  company  of  another  man  for 
even  a  moment. 

Our  young  girls  and  ladies  may  have  their 
beaux  and  talk  with  their  gentlemen  acquaintances 
as  much  as  they  like  and  no  harm  is  thought  of  it. 
The  Thlinget  girls  cannot  do  this  without  being 
branded  as  immoral. 

To  marry  one  of  the  same  great  totemic  phratry, 
though  no  blood  relation,  is  a  matter  of  deep  dis- 
grace, and  in  earlier  times  one  who  violated  this 
custom  was  punished  with  death.  Any  who  offend 
in  this  matter  now  are  deeply  execrated. 

We  recall  a  case  where  two  cousins  of  the  same 
phratry  married.  They  loved  each  other  and  were 
married  according  to  the  white  man's  law.  But 
their  own  people  turned  bitterly  against  them  for 
this,  and  scorned  the  girl  from  the  day  of  her 
marriage  until  her  death. 

A  wife  is  greatly  disgraced  if  she  is  cast  off  by 
her  husband,  though  she  may  be  altogether  unde- 
serving of  such  treatment.  For  this  reason  wives 
often  endure  very  brutal  treatment  from  their 
husbands. 

It  is  considered  a  very  shameful  thing  for  a 
woman  to  expose  her  person  even  to  her  husband 
or  to  another  woman.  Women  suffer  and  die, 
even  in  childbirth,  rather  than  submit  themselves 
to  a  doctor. 

Sweeping  charges  of  immorality  have  been 
made  against  the  natives  of  Alaska.  This  is  no 


MORALITY 

more  just  than  to  declare  the  same  of  white  people 
because  some  are  bad.  Even  though  a  majority 
of  them  were  immoral  it  would  not  justify  us  in 
saying  they  were  all  so.  It  were  as  just  for  them 
to  declare  that  all  the  white  people  are  drunkards 
because  they  see  so  many  who  are.  Sweeping 
statements  are  seldom  true  or  just. 

It  is  said  that  the  women  have  no  regard  for 
chastity,  but  their  system  of  ethics  is  largely  to 
blame  for  this.  It  is  not  considered  improper  for 
a  man  alid  woman  to  live  together,  though  not 
married.  Consequently  some  use  this  as  a  license 
for  improper  sexual  relations.  There  are,  how- 
ever, those  who  are  chaste  and  would  not  barter 
their  virtue  for  any  price.  While  prostitution  is 
practised,  it  is  not  advertised  and  fostered  as  it 
is  with  civilized  races. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  natives  have 
not  been  long  acquainted  with  our  system  of  mar- 
riage. Their  own  was  without  rite  or  ceremony. 
In  many  instances  a  mere  mutual  understanding 
between  the  parties  living  together  that  they  were 
husband  and  wife  was  all  there  was  to  it.  This 
never  offended  the  public  conscience  so  long  as  the 
parties  showed  good  faith. 

Nearly  every  race  has  a  different  marriage  sys- 
tem from  all  the  others.  Uncivilized  communities, 
from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  cannot  know  of 
the  Christian  form  until  it  is  introduced.  They 
are  obliged  to  hit  upon  some  system,  crude  as  it 
may  appear  to  us.  The  Thlingets  adopted  the 
dowry  system  that  prevailed  in  the  time  of  Jacob. 
This  is  just  as  sacred  in  their  eyes  as  the  Chris- 
tian system  is  to  us.  Under  it  native  men  and 
women  have  lived  together  for  thirty,  forty  and 
fifty  years  in  good  faith,  and  reared  large  fami- 


CARE  OF  DAUGHTERS  215 

lies.  They  could  not  have  done  better  had  they 
been  married  by  a  dozen  priests.  And  yet  we 
meet  white  people  who  regard  the  native  system 
as  a  system  of  fornication. 

There  are  no  parents  in  all  the  world  that  guard 
their  girls  more  carefully  in  order  to  preserve 
their  chastity  than  the  Thlingets  of  Alaska.  If 
they  did  not  value  virtue  they  certainly  would  not 
be  so  careful  to  protect  it.  As  soon  as  a  girl  ap- 
proaches womanhood  she  is  kept  under  constant 
surveillance.  She  is  not  allowed  to  go  off  by  her- 
self anywhere.  She  is  under  the  eye  of  her 
mother,  or  aunt  or  sister  until  she  is  married.  It 
seems  to  us  that  this  shows  some  regard  for 
virtue. 

It  is  true  that  much  coarse,  vulgar  and  indecent 
sensuality  obtains  with  some,  but  more  from 
drunkenness  than  election.  Women  are  debauched, 
but  are  not  willing  parties  to  the  transaction. 
The  appetite  for  strong  drink  is  the  curse  and 
ruin  of  many  of  them,  and  has  betrayed  many  a 
woman  to  part  with  her  virtue.  Men,  knowing 
their  weakness  for  liquor  and  how  helpless  they 
are  when  under  its  influence,  use  this  means  of 
taking  advantage  of  them. 

The  sale  and  the  giving  of  liquor  to  the  natives 
is  the  most  debasing  of  all  influences  that  they 
encounter.  There  is  a  stringent  law  against  it, 
and  public  opinion  in  Alaska  is  strongly  with  the 
law,  yet  there  are  men  so  low  (white  men,  we  are 
sorry  to  say)  that  they  are  constantly  violating 
this  law.  The  courts  are  doing  their  best  to  stamp 
out  this  criminal  practice  and  have  succeeded  in 
sending  many  of  these  offenders  to  the  peniten- 
tiary. But  in  spite  of  their  strenuous  efforts  to 
break  it  up,  the  traffic  in  liquor  with  the  natives 


216  MORALITY 

continues  with  most  baneful  and  degrading 
results. 

This  curse  has  hung  like  a  pall  over  them  since 
the  advent  of  the  Eussians.  Before  the  coming 
of  the  white  man  they  were  strangers  to  liquor 
in  any  form.  The  art  of  brewing  and  drinking 
it  was  acquired.  Ballou,  in  his  volume  on  Alaska, 
states  that  the  Eussians  taught  them  to  make 
quass.  Bancroft,  in  his  history  of  Alaska,  claims 
that  they  were  taught  the  art  of  distilling  by 
United  States  soldiers. 

Whoever  is  responsible  for  their  knowledge  of 
manufacturing  drink,  it  is  certain  that  they  knew 
nothing  of  it  until  they  were  taught  it  by  members 
of  the  superior  race. 

Another  undeniable  fact  is  that  they  have  been 
encouraged  to  drink  by  the  example,  not  only  of 
white  civilians,  but  of  soldiers  who  were  sent  to 
Alaska  to  maintain  law  and  order.  Bancroft,  in 
his  history  of  Alaska,  has  shown  that  the  soldiery 
have  much  of  the  debauchery  of  the  natives  to 
answer  for.  Governor  Swineford,  and  other 
writers  on  Alaska,  bear  witness  to  the  same  un- 
pleasant truth.  Scores  of  citizens  have  made  the 
same  observation.  It  is  certainly  regrettable  that 
men  who  are  sent  out  by  our  government  to  en- 
force law  and  order  should  be  the  very  ones  to 
drink  and  carouse,  create  drunken  brawls,  strife 
and  discord  in  communities  where  they  live.  That 
this  has  been  done  times  without  number  in 
Alaska,  no  one  can  deny. 

The  government  makes  a  ludicrous  mistake  in 
thinking  the  miners  of  Alaska  need  the  soldiery 
to  restrain  them  from  acts  of  violence.  As  a  class 
their  behaviour  is  far  superior  to  that  of  the 
soldiery. 


RUM,  THE  ARCH-EVIL  217 

There  are  some  fine  fellows  wearing  the  uni- 
form, and  the  officers,  with  scarcely  an  exception, 
are  true  gentlemen.  But  too  many  rowdies  are  in 
the  ranks,  and  such  should  not  be  employed  to 
conserve  law  and  order.  As  soon  as  they  are 
loose  from  duty,  they  make  for  the  saloons  to 
drink,  carouse  and  do  violence. 

It  is  a  question  whether  Alaska  has  profited 
or  suffered  more  from  the  army.  Bancroft  and 
other  careful  writers  think  the  latter  is  true. 

"  There  are  plenty  of  irresponsible  whites, " 
writes  Ballou,  "  ready  to  make  money  out  of  the 
aborigines.  Bum  is  the  native's  bane,  its  effect 
upon  him  being  singularly  fatal ;  it  maddens  him ; 
even  slight  intoxication  means  to  him  delirium 
and  all  its  consequences,  wild  brutality  and  utter 
demoralization. ' ' 

More  crimes,  cruelty,  brutality  and  misery 
among  the  natives  are  due  to  drink  than  to  any 
other  one  thing — yea,  than  to  all  other  things  put 
together.  Many  have  died  directly  from  over- 
drink and  poisonous  drinks.  Many  have  been 
killed  in  drunken  brawls  or  crippled  for  life. 
Children  are  abused,  neglected  and  made  to  suffer 
by  drunken  parents. 

The  teachers  and  missionaries  who  live  and  la- 
bour among  the  natives  have  many  sad  cases  of 
brutality  and  suffering,  all  through  drink,  brought 
to  their  notice. 

Theft  is  little  known  among  them.  Before  the 
fine  art  of  thieving  was  introduced  by  the  white 
man,  no  man's  house  was  ever  robbed,  nor  his 
wood  stolen  though  cut  and  banked  in  the  forest ; 
his  garden  was  not  plundered,  though  miles  from 
his  home,  nor  his  blankets  thrown  over  his  canoe 
to  protect  it  from  the  sun  disturbed,  nor  any 


218  MORALITY 

of  his  belongings  appropriated  by  another.  Val- 
uable articles  are  deposited  in  deadhouses  and 
on  and  around  graves,  articles  that  natives  covet, 
yet  these  were  never  stolen.  The  example  of 
white  crooks  and  thieves  is  pernicious  and  has 
encouraged  some  natives  to  imitate  them.  Much 
thieving  has  been  laid  to  their  door,  when  in  truth 
it  belonged  to  white  rascals. 

The  percentage  of  thieving  by  natives  is  much 
lower  than  that  of  the  white  races.  For  more  than 
twenty  years  we  have  lived  among  them.  Our 
doors  have  been  left  unlocked  for  them  to  walk  in 
and  out;  frequently  we  were  out  and  they  had 
the  house  all  to  themselves,  yet  in  all  these  years 
we  have  never  had  anything  stolen  by  one  of  them. 

While  many  have  been  brought  into  court  for 
drunkenness,  disorderly  conduct,  fighting,  assault, 
etc.,  yet  very  few  have  been  tried  for  theft.  The 
crime  of  murder  has  been  committed  by  them,  but 
not  so  often  as  by  white  men  in  their  country.  In 
most  cases  this  crime,  when  committed  by  natives, 
was  because  they  were  under  the  influence  of 
liquor.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  as  many  natives  have 
been  killed  by  white  men  as  white  people  killed 
by  them. 

A  man  committed  suicide  simply  to  make 
trouble  for  one  who  offended  him.  According  to 
native  custom,  if  a  person  commits  suicide  be- 
cause some  one  has  offended  him,  or  opposed  a 
wish  of  his,  heavy  damages  or  a  life  must  be  given 
to  the  tribe  of  the  suicide  by  the  tribe  of  the  one 
giving  the  offence.  So  suicide  is  sometimes  re- 
sorted to  in  order  to  harass  and  burden  others. 
The  threat  of  suicide  is  sometimes  used  as  a  bluff 
to  get  one's  way. 

There  are  a  few  native  girls  who  imitate  their 


VICES  2,19 

fallen  white  sisters.  They  barter  their  virtue,  and 
some  of  them,  when  they  find  themselves  trapped, 
resort  to  abortion.  This  they  do,  not  by  applying 
to  a  physician,  as  we  have  no  physicians  who 
would  abet  a  native  girl  in  this,  but  by  personal 
efforts  and  by  taking  native  concoctions.  They 
are  not  always  successful,  as  too  many  children 
without  visible  fathers  testify. 

The  native  "  tough  "  is  becoming  scarcer  and 
scarcer,  and  has  always  been  frowned  on  by  the 
great  body  of  natives.  The  .natives  no  more  ap- 
prove of  their  girls  leading  a  bad  life  than  the 
white  people  do  of  their  girls.  While  there  may 
be  yet  a  few  native  girls  who  lead  a  fast  life,  the 
number  is  small  as  compared  with  those  who  were 
once  given  to  it.  Some  of  them  have  been  brought 
into  the  church,  reformed  and  transformed,  and 
for  years  have  led  a  clean  life.  They  have  settled 
down,  content  to  be  the  wife  of  one  man  and  rear 
children. 

Among  the  white  people  of  Alaska,  the  natives 
have  the  reputation  of  having  little  regard  for 
the  truth.  Their  testimony  in  court,  unless  cor- 
roborated by  the  testimony  of  a  white  person,  will 
not  be  considered  by  the  average  juryman.  We 
have  found  from  experience  that  while  it  is  true 
the  word  of  many  is  unreliable,  yet  there  are 
those  who  can  and  do  speak  the  truth,  and  whose 
word  may  be  depended  on.  But  we  admit,  with 
regret,  that  many  will  prevaricate  if  they  think 
there  is  anything  to  be  gained  by  it,  or  to  injure 
one  for  whom  they  have  ill  will. 

One  of  their  most  reprehensible  faults  is  their 
failure  to  meet  their  financial  obligations  to  white 
men.  Merchants  who  have  given  them  credit,  and 
friends  who  have  loaned  them  money,  have  found 


MORALITY 

all  too  late  that  but  few  of  them  have  the  honour 
to  square  their  accounts.  They  seem  to  think  it 
is  legitimate  for  them  to  "  beat  "  a  white  man. 
Of  course  there  are  some  who  will  pay  without 
coercion  their  just  debts.  Among  themselves  they 
pay,  as  they  cannot  get  away  from  it. 

Profanity,  smoking  and  chewing  tobacco,  and 
drinking  are  acquired  vices.  They  are  not  as  yet 
very  profane.  But  they  hear  profanity  so  much 
from  white  men  that  it  sticks  to  them  to  some  ex- 
tent. Some  use  profane  words  without  knowing 
that  they  are  reprehensible.  This  is  seen  in  speak- 
ing to  the  missionary  in  whose  presence  they 
would  not  use  "  bad  "  words  if  they  knew  them 
to  be  such. 

Not  a  few  are  addicted  to  smoking,  but  ver,y 
few  chew  tobacco.  The  older  women  are  particu- 
larly fond  of  snuff,  and  some  of  them  use  the  pipe 
also. 

It  is  only  just  to  say  that  among  them  there  are 
those  who  eschew  all  of  these  evils  and  live  good 
moral  lives. 


xxn 

DISEASES 

WHILE  certain  diseases  have  always  been 
found  among  the  Thlingets,  others  that 
now  afflict  them  are  of  recent  introduc- 
tion. Tumours,  cancers  and  toothache  were  un- 
known to  them  until  within  recent  years.  The 
older  ones  have  yet  sound  and  excellent  teeth 
while  the  rising  generation  experience  the  white 
people's  misfortune  of  cavities,  toothache  and 
dental  torture. 

A  certain  woman  eighty  years  old  or  more,  and 
known  to  us,  has  never  had  the  toothache,  and 
every  tooth  in  her  head  to-day  is  as  sound  as  a 
dollar.  On  the  other  hand,  a  woman  yet  in  her 
twenties  has  had  half  of  her  teeth  extracted  and 
several  of  the  remaining  ones  filled.  The  white 
man's  food,  especially  his  sweetmeats,  which  are 
now  freely  indulged  in  by  the  natives,  is,  no  doubt, 
largely  the  cause  of  this  change. 

While  consumption  is  now  the  most  prevalent 
disease  among  them,  we  are  told  by  the  natives 
themselves  and  by  careful  historians  that  it  is  an 
imported  disease.  "  The  Indian  calls  tubercu- 
losis '  the  white  man's  disease,'  and  so  far  as  I 
have  been  able  to  learn  it  was  practically  unknown 
to  him  in  his  uncivilized  state."  It  is  common  to 
hear  consumption  spoken  of  among  our  own  peo- 
ple as  "  The  Great  White  Plague."  This  would 


22S  DISEASES 

indicate  that  it  is  surely  the  white  man's  disease. 
Whatever  its  origin  with  the  natives,  it  is  certain 
that  it  has  a  fearful  hold  on  them. 

Dr.  Paul  C.  Hutton,  surgeon  and  physician  at 
Fort  William  H.  Seward,  Haines,  Alaska,  in  a 
published  report  for  the  year  1907,  states  that  he 
found  on  investigation  20.6  per  cent  of  the  natives 
of  that  place  afflicted  with  undisputed  tubercu- 
losis, 12  per  cent  of  probable  cases  of  pulmonary 
form,  and  16.2  per  cent  of  tuberculosis  other  than 
pulmonary. 

While  every  village  has  its  quota  of  consump- 
tion, yet  we  are  very  sure  no  other  village  can 
match  this.  We  have  been  reliably  informed  that 
there  are  more  cases  of  venereal  diseases  among 
the  natives  in  that  community  than  in  any  other. 
If  so,  this  would  account  for  the  prevalence  of 
consumption  there. 

While  this  disease,  without  a  doubt,  carries  off 
to-day  more  natives  than  any  other,  yet  we  know 
that  it  is  not  so  bad  as  it  was  a  decade  or  more 
ago.  The  natives  clothe  themselves  better,  take 
greater  precautions  against  getting  wet  and  catch- 
ing colds,  live  under  better  sanitary  conditions 
and  employ  competent  physicians  far  more  than 
they  ever  did  before.  This  naturally  tends  to 
lessen  the  prevalence  of  the  disease.  Other 
physicians  of  eminent  ability  declare  that  Dr.  Hut- 
ton's  report  is  an  exaggeration.  They  found  that 
cases  which  were  considered  by  him  as  con- 
sumptives were  not  such  at  all.  The  author  is 
positive  that  the  mortality  among  the  natives  of 
southeastern  Alaska,  at  least,  is  not  extraordinary. 
Some  sickness  and  death  must  be  expected.  Of 
course  these  should  be  diminished  to  the  fullest 
extent.  But  to  raise  the  cry  that  the  natives  are 


SMALLPOX,  ETC. 

dying  as  if  smitten  with  the  plague  is  neither 
true  nor  wise. 

If  there  were  the  least  doubt  about  consumption 
being  an  imported  disease,  there  can  be  none  about 
smallpox.  The  scourge  was  introduced,  accord- 
ing to  Bancroft,*  in  the  year  1836.  Since  then  it 
has  appeared  from  time  to  time  with  more  or  less 
virulence.  The  last  epidemic  of  smallpox  was  in 
the  summer  of  1901,  when  scores  were  carried 
away  by  it.  The  natives  travel  about  so  much  and 
are  so  careless  about  spreading  diseases  that  when 
this  loathsome  disease  breaks  out  it  soon  goes 
from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other.  Their 
communal  style  of  living  and  the  unsanitary  con- 
ditions of  their  villages  highly  favour  it.  For 
these  reasons,  when  it  breaks  out  fearful  mortality 
results  from  it. 

All  forms  of  venereal  diseases  are  legacies  of 
the  white  man  to  the  natives.  Diseased  sailors 
from  Eussian  ships  and  American  whalers  intro- 
duced them.  Being  contagious,  and  the  natives 
being  so  indifferent  to  the  spread  of  diseases, 
venereal  afflictions  are  common.  Much  of  it  now 
is  inherited.  Thus  the  sins  of  their  fathers  are 
visited  upon  their  children. 

The  prevalence  of  syphilis  is  no  sign  of  whole- 
sale immorality,  as  it  spreads  by  contagion  and 
inheritance,  and  many  innocent  ones,  as  is  seen 
among  the  children,  are  tainted  with  the  disease. 
The  careless,  uncleanly  life  of  the  average  native 
favours  its  spreading  and  perpetuation. 

Measles  and  whooping-cough  are  imported  dis- 
eases, and  very  few  native  children  now  escape 
them.  Measles  is  very  serious  with  them,  as  it 
frequently  terminates  in  pneumonia  or  con- 
sumption. 

*  "  History  of  Alaska,"  page  560. 


DISEASES 

The  original  diseases  of  the  Thlingets  are  pneu- 
monia, rheumatism,  scrofula,  blood  diseases, 
ophthalmia,  neuralgia  and  pulmonary  hemor- 
rhages. Strange  to  say,  fevers  such  as  typhoid, 
scarlet,  malarial,  etc.,  are  scarcely  known  in 
Alaska.  We  would  naturally  suppose  that  fevers 
of  this  nature  would  thrive  among  a  people  so 
untidy  in  their  homes,  but  such  is  not  the  case. 
It  may  be  accounted  for  on  the  grounds  that  the 
temperature  never  rises  high  enough  to  create 
excessive  heat  and  rank  decomposition  of  dead 
vegetation;  that  the  prevalent  rains  purify  the 
atmosphere;  that  they  live  on  beaches  swept  by 
tides,  and  that  they  have  the  purest  water  in  the 
world  for  drinking  and  cooking  purposes.  Of 
course  we  now  refer  to  the  natives  of  the  coast. 

We  frequently  see  Thlingets  afflicted  with  tu- 
berculosis of  the  hip.  Ophthalmia  is  a  prevalent 
disease,  much  of  it,  we  believe,  being  due  to 
smoke.  Comparatively  speaking,  only  recently 
have  the  natives  employed  stoves.  Their  life  was 
practically  spent  around  an  open  fire,  in  the  house 
as  well  as  outside.  They  could  scarcely  sit  around 
these  fires  without  being  more  or  less  enveloped 
with  clouds  of  smoke. 

Pott's  Disease  is  another  form  of  tuberculosis 
which  we  meet  with  among  them.  For  this  rea- 
son we  see  humpbacks  everywhere,  and  not  a  few 
have  died  from  tuberculosis  in  this  form. 

Seldom  do  we  find  cases  of  insanity  and  idiocy 
among  the  natives.  Where  insanity  has  mani- 
fested itself  disease  has  been  at  the  bottom  of  it. 
They  certainly  are  not  driven  to  it  from  worry, 
like  so  many  of  their  white  brothers.  Aside  from 
some  petty  annoyances,  they  have  little  to  worry 
about.  The'  simple  life,  as  a  rule,  gives  slight 


SANITATION 

occasion  for  serious  mental  disturbance.  The  in- 
mates of  our  insane  asylums  come  mostly  from 
our  more  complex  civilization. 

The  natives  have  no  knowledge  of,  and,  appar- 
ently, no  concern  about,  sanitation.  "  Discarded 
garments  and  old  shoes  lying  rotting  in  the  moist 
soil ;  salmon  skins  and  salmon  flesh  disintegrating ; 
tin  cans  partially  filled  with  stinking  slush  and 
half  buried ;  rotten  logs  and  decaying  organic  mat- 
ter everywhere.  Both  inside  and  out  we  find 
everything  conducive  to  the  propagation  of 
germs. "  * 

"  From  a  free  open  life  they  were  changed  to 
a  life  in  huts  and  houses  crowded  so  closely  and 
with  so  little  ventilation  that  probably  half  a 
dozen  or  more  would  have  to  breathe  air  which 
from  a  hygienic  point  of  view  would  not  contain 
sufficient  oxygen  to  properly  support  one  life1." 

The  unknown  author  of  this  latter  quotation  is 
correct.  A  lack  of  the  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  good,  sweet,  fresh  air  is  no  doubt  responsible 
for  not  a  little  sickness  among  them. 

As  Dr.  Hutton  points  out,  in  the  quotation 
above,  their  carelessness  about  the  removal  and 
disposition  of  garbage  is  also  a  fruitful  cause  of 
disease. 

"  These  Alaskans, "  writes  Ballou,  "  have  no 
idea  of  sewerage,  or  of  the  proper  disposal  of 
domestic  refuse.  All  accumulations  of  this  sort 
are  thrown  just  outside  the  doors  of  their  dwell- 
ings, to  the  right  and  left,  anywhere,  in  fact,  which 
is  handiest.  The  stench  which  surrounds  their 
cabins,  under  these  circumstances,  is  almost  un- 
bearable by  civilized  people,  and  must  be  very 
unwholesome." 

*  Hutton. 


226  DISEASES 

A  campaign  has  been  inaugurated  by  the  gov- 
ernment school  authorities  against  this  unsanitary 
condition  in  native  villages.  But  unless  there  is 
some  way  to  enforce  obedience  to  established  rules 
and  regulations  little  will  be  accomplished,  if  we 
may  judge  by  the  results  from  efforts  of  others 
along  this  same  line.  The  natives,  while  inclined 
to  listen,  give  very  little  heed  to  any  hygienic  and 
sanitary  instructions. 

They  have  no  knowledge  of  medicine,  proper 
nursing  or  caring  for  the  sick.  In  their  efforts 
to  help  the  sick,  their  remedies,  aside  from  the 
rites  of  shamanism,  are  very  crude  and  simple. 
They  gather  herbs  and  apply  them  to  the  sick, 
sometimes  raw  and  sometimes  cooked.  They  also 
steep  roots  and  herbs  and  use  the  liquor  from 
them  for  medicine.  The  old  women  are  their 
chemists.  They  mingle  not  a  little  superstition 
in  with  their  concoctions.  For  scrofula  the  inner 
bark  of  the  devilclub  and  oil  were  outwardly  ap- 
plied. The  bark  was  dried  and  ground  to  powder. 
Bleeding  was,  and  is  yet,  a  popular  practice. 
The  writer  knows  of  one  native,  a  leading 
man  in  his  community,  whose  shoulders  and 
back  are  full  of  scars,  the  result  of  cuttings 
for  the  purpose  of  bleeding.  For  six  or  eight 
years,  every  fall  when  he  has  returned  from 
his  summer's  fishing,  he  has  called  in  one  of 
the  local  physicians  (white)  to  do  the  cutting, 
and  by  request  of  the  native  himself  I  have  stood 
by  and  witnessed  some  of  these  operations.  The 
malady  he  has  each  time  sought  relief  from  by  this 
drastic  method  is  rheumatism  or  sciatica.  In 
every  instance  he  has  found  relief.  The  man  ap- 
parently is  well  and  strong  to-day.  He  is  prob- 
ably forty-five  or  fifty  years  old. 


TREATMENT  OF  DISEASE  227 

It  is  rather  strange  that  when  they  used  to  bind 
up  their  cuts  and  wounds  with  dirty  rags,  and 
were  little  protected  from  filth,  there  was  so  small 
a  percentage  of  peritonitis  among  them.  Now, 
with  antiseptics,  sterilized  instruments  and  the 
best  of  care,  blood  poisoning  is  not  infre- 
quent. 

In  treating  ulcers  and  running  sores,  they  insert 
a  bunch  of  eagle 's  down  into  the  heart  of  the  sore 
and  leave  it  there  until  it  is  well  glued  to  the  pus. 
Then  they  draw  it  out,  bringing  with  it  all  the 
pus  that  has  attached  to  it.  This  opens  up  the 
sore  in  such  a  manner  as  to  let  the  bad  matter 
run  freely  out. 

They  make  an  abundant  use  of  the  natural 
mineral  springs  which  are  found  in  the  country. 
For  years,  if  not  for  generations,  they  have  been 
acquainted  with  the  medicinal  value  of  these 
springs. 

"  Twenty  miles  south  of  Sitka,"  wrote  Ballou 
more  than  twenty  years  ago, ' '  on  the  same  island, 
there  are  a  number  of  hot  springs,  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  iron  and  sulphur,  the  sanitary  na- 
ture of  which  has  been  known  to  the  Indians  for 
centuries,  and  hither  they  have  been  in  the  habit 
of  resorting  for  the  cure  of  certain  physical  ills, 
especially  rheumatism,  to  which  they  are  so 
liable. "  The  hot  springs  near  Hoonah  and  Kil- 
lisnoo  are  also  well  patronized  by  natives. 

The  steam  bath  is  very  popular  with  them. 
They  take  a  number  of  springy  sticks  or  poles  and 
make  a  frame  the  shape  of  a  large  round-top  bee- 
hive. Over  this  they  throw  a  small  canoe  sail  or 
piece  of  drilling,  thus  making  a  booth  large 
enough  for  two  or  three  to  crawl  inside.  Several 
good-sized  hot  stones  are  placed  inside.  Then 


228  DISEASES 

they  crawl  in  themselves  and  steam  to  their 
heart's  content. 

Some  practise  fasting,  when  sick,  going  for 
days  with  little  or  no  food.  It  has  a  good  effect, 
too.  If  there  were  more  fasting  and  less  stuffing 
there  would  be  fewer  dyspeptics  and  less  illness. 

They  have  what  are  called  "  rubbers."  These 
are  usually  old  women  who  profess  to  be  able,  by 
rubbing  the  person  with  their  hands,  to  effect 
cures.  They  claim  to  be  especially  effective  with 
any  kind  of  stomach  trouble.  These  rubbers  are 
often  employed  and  they  make  a  good  charge  for 
their  services. 

They  have  practically  no  knowledge  of  nursing 
the  sick.  The  sick  are  given  to  eat  whatever  they 
ask  for,  whether  it  is  good  for  them  or  not.  They 
humour  them  and  think  it  is  wrong  to  deny  them 
anything  they  call  for.  If  prescribed  for  by  a 
physician,  the  medicine  is  very  poorly  admin- 
istered. It  is  not  given  regularly  nor  in  quantity 
according  to  the  prescription.  If  the  patient  does 
not  recover  after  taking  one  or  two  doses  of  medi- 
cine, both  the  medicine  and  the  doctor  are  con- 
sidered useless,  no  matter  how  chronic  the  disease 
may  be.  Almost  invariably  the  bed  of  the  sick 
is  made  on  the  floor,  while  the  bedstead  is  used 
for  holding  boxes  and  other  chattels.  They  are 
often  kept  in  a  stifling  atmosphere  not  fit  for  a 
well  person  to  breathe,  with  a  dozen  or  more  peo- 
ple tramping  about,  talking  and  making  more  or 
less  noise  in  the  room.  They  are  allowed  to  get  up 
and  go  out  in  the  wet  and  cold,  even  when  so  weak 
from  wasting  disease  they  can  scarcely  stand  on 
their  feet.  Nothing  has  been  more  pathetic  than 
to  see  natives  emaciated  from  disease  tottering 
about  endeavouring  to  wait  on  themselves  when 


CRYING  NEED  OF  NATIVES 

they  should  have  been  in  bed  and  waited  on.  This 
is  due  to  four  things:  lack  of  conveniences,  neg- 
lect, false  modesty  and  ignorance. 

A  well-equipped,  up-to-date  hospital  should 
have  been  erected  for  the  Alaskans  long  ago  by 
the  United  States  government.  It  is  a  crying 
shame  that  it  was  not  done.  The  mere  sense  of 
humanity  should  have  prompted  it,  if  not  a  desire 
to  perpetuate  the  race.  If  only  an  infinitesimal 
part  of  the  millions  that  have  been  wasted  on  gun- 
powder alone  could  have  been  used  for  such  a 
purpose,  it  would  be  far  more  to  the  credit  of  our 
government. 

A  small  one,  capable  of  caring  for  about  fifteen 
patients,  has  recently  been  established  in  the  cap- 
ital city,  Juneau.  To  meet  the  needs  of  the  peo- 
ple other  sections  should  be  supplied  with  hos- 
pitals. Alaska  is  a  country  of  magnificent  dis- 
tances, and  natives  can  hardly  be  expected  to  carry 
their  sick  three  or  four  hundred  miles  for  treat- 
ment. The  facilities  for  travel  are  such  that  it 
takes  days  and  even  weeks  to  go  from  some  points 
to  Juneau.  The  expense  also  is  not  light.  One 
hospital,  however,  is  better  than  none,  and  we  are 
grateful  for  the  one  that  is  in  operation. 

Some  physicians  claim  that  the  constitution  of 
the  native  requires  twice  as  much  medicine  to  the 
dose  as  that  of  a  white  person  in  order  to  produce 
the  same  effect.  We  know  of  a  native  woman  who 
took  half  a  teaspoonful  of  laudanum  to  produce 
sleep,  but  without  avail.  The  same  woman  took 
strong  morphine  pellets  according  to  prescription 
for  the  same  purpose,  yet  they  had  no  effect  on 
her.  So  this  claim  may  be  true. 

In  southeastern  Alaska  the  climate  has  much 
to  do  with  the  health  of  the  natives.  The  ex- 


230  DISEASES 

cessive  humidity  is  a  fruitful  source  of  rheuma- 
tism, colds,  coughs  and  consumption.  Travelling 
almost  altogether  in  open  boats,  their  clothing  be- 
comes saturated  with  water ;  they  chill  and  a  heavy 
cold  results.  The  women  are  far  less  careful  in 
protecting  themselves  than  are  the  men.  While 
the  latter  are  seen  knocking  around  in  slickers  and 
tight  rubber  boots,  the  former  will  be  in  their 
bare  feet  and  scantily  clad. 

Freaks  are  found  among  the  natives  as  well  as 
among  other  people.  We  frequently  see  blind  na- 
tives, but  seldom  meet  with  deaf  ones.  During 
our  long  residence  in  Alaska  we  have  never  met 
with  a  native  mute.  They  are  especially  blessed 
with  a  good  faculty  of  speech. 

Blindness  is  sometimes  inherited,  and  some- 
times brought  about  by  accidents  and  disease. 
For  the  hopelessly  blind  people  and  the  indigent 
there  should  be  a  home  where  they  might  receive 
proper  care  and  have  some  of  the  comforts  of 
life.  As  it  is,  they  must  be  a  burden  to  their  peo- 
ple and  grope  around  as  best  they  can. 

It  only  remains  to  be  said  that  there  are  some 
natives  who  live  on  a  higher  plane  of  life  than  the 
average.  These  know  better  how  to  care  for 
themselves  in  sickness,  have  better  homes  and 
more  conveniences  and  employ  good  physicians. 
As  along  other  lines,  so  in  the  care  of  themselves 
and  their  sick,  they  are  advancing. 


RELIGION 

HE  who  writes  about  the  natives  of  Alaska 
without  noting  their  religion  gives  a  very 
deficient  account  of  them ;  religion  has  been 
and  is  yet  a  great  factor  in  their  lives. 

Man  is  by  nature  a  religious  being.  In  every 
clime  and  in  every  race  he  selects  some  object, 
real  or  imaginary,  to  propitiate.  He  either  clothes 
some  object  of  nature,  man,  beast,  sun  or  fire, 
with  supernatural  powers,  or  evolves  beings  out 
of  his  own  imagination  whom  he  thus  clothes. 

These  he  propitiates  in  proportion  as  he  be- 
lieves they  have  power  to  harm.  Thus  men  nat- 
urally grope  after  the  Supreme  Being,  "  if  haply 
they  may  find  Him."  The  Thlingets  of  Alaska 
are  no  exception  to  the  rule. 

They  had  no  temples,  no  religious  assemblies, 
no  representations  of  deity,  in  short,  no  rites  or 
ceremonies  that  might  properly  be  called  reli- 
gious, in  early  days.  They  were  truly  heathen. 

They  have  been  called  demonologists,  or  devil- 
worshippers,  but  they  never  worshipped  demons 
nor  the  devil.  They  had  no  idea  of  the  latter  until 
they  learned  about  him  through  the  teachings  of 
the  Eussian  missionaries. 

Some  have  said  that  their  religion  was  spiritual- 
ism. While  they  firmly  believed  (and  do  yet)  in 
spirits,  yet  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  this  belief 
attained  the  dignity  of  a  religion.  The  Thlinget 


232  RELIGION 

mind  clothes  everything,  inanimate  as  well  as  ani- 
mate, with  spirit. 

The  belief  in  the  existence  of  evil  spirits  is  the 
foundation  of  shamanism.  They  propitiate  and 
conjure  with  these  imaginary  evil  spirits  in  order 
to  purchase  their  good  will,  but  they  do  not  wor- 
ship them.  Shamanism  is  one  grand  effort  to 
wrestle  with  these  supposed  evil  spirits  and  ob- 
tain immunity  from  them.  But  their  belief  in  the 
existence  of  spirits  was  never  elevated  into  a 
religion. 

"  Their  aboriginal  belief,"  writes  Ballou,  "  is 
called  Shamanism,  or  the  propitiating  of  evil 
spirits  by  acceptable  offerings.  It  is  significant 
that  the  same  faith  is  participated  in  by  the  Si- 
berians, on  the  other  side  of  Bering  Strait.  This 
is  no  new  or  original  form  of  religion ;  it  was  the 
faith  of  the  Tartar  race  before  they  became  the 
disciples  of  Buddhism. " 

It  is  but  a  step  from  spiritualism  to  a  belief 
in  ghosts.  The  Thlingets  believe  firmly  in  the 
latter.  Goosh-ta-kah  (Land-otter-man)  is  their 
chief  hobgoblin.  The  spirits  of  the  drowned 
linger  around  in  the  forests  near  the  watercourses 
until  they  finally  go  way  back  into  the  interior. 

The  Thlingets  have  been  called  ancestor  wor- 
shippers. While  they  have  a  profound  respect 
and  reverence  for  their  departed  ancestors,  yet 
they  do  not  worship  them.  They  believe  in  the 
continued  existence  of  their  spirits  after  death, 
and  even  call  on  these  spirits  for  favours,  but  this 
belief  never  led  them  to  worship  the  departed  as 
our  Catholic  constituency  worship  saints. 

Again,  they  have  been  called  animal  worship- 
pers. "  They  seem  to  entertain, "  writes  Ballou, 
1 '  a  sort  of  animal  worship,  a  reverence  for  special 


NOT  ANIMAL  WORSHIPPERS  233 

birds  and  beasts/'  But  they  do  not  worship  these 
objects.  They  may  be  said  to  approach  it  because 
of  their  reverent  and  propitiatory  attitude  toward 
the  animals  adopted  as  totems.  Their  belief  in  an 
animal  ancestry,  as  already  shown,  is  doubtless 
the  foundation  of  this  adoption,  while  the  pro- 
pitiation is  due  to  the  adoption  and  to  their  re- 
garding the  creatures  so  adopted  as  clothed  with 
supernatural  powers.  The  ancient  Egyptians 
were  real  animal  worshippers  because  they  had 
them  represented  in  their  temples  and  made 
obeisance  to  them  as  they  would  to  deity.  So  far 
as  we  have  been  able  to  learn,  the  Thlingets  never 
did  this.  Strictly  speaking,  they  were  not  animal 
worshippers. 

Nor  were  they  Nature  worshippers,  as  some 
have  declared  them  to  be.  The  sun,  moon,  clouds, 
tide,  etc.,  are  thought  of  as  possessing  spirits  be- 
cause they  seem  to  be  instinct  with  life,  but  they 
were  not  worshipped. 

The  nearest  approach  that  they  ever  came  to 
worshipping  any  object  was  that  of  their  dead 
shaman.  They  prayed  to  him  for  long  life  and 
success  in  their  enterprises.  In  the  morning  they 
would  take  a  mouthful  of  water,  spit  it  out  and 
pray.  When  in  danger  of  drowning  they  would 
pray  to  him  for  deliverance.  Not  only  would  they 
thus  pray  to  him,  but  to  things  that  once  be- 
longed to  him.  This  was  nothing  less  than  fetish- 
ism, and  to  this  extent  was  practised  by  them. 

"  The  aborigines,  where  not  brought  into  con- 
tact with  government  schools  and  missionaries, 
still  retain  their  system  of  fetish  worship,  being 
very  much  under  the  control  of  their  medicine 
men,  who  pretend  to  influence  the  demons  of  the 
spirit  world,  so  feared  by  the  average  savage. " 


RELIGION 

They  believed  firmly  (and  do  yet)  in  the  im- 
mortality of  man.  For  this  reason  they  put  food 
in  the  fire,  and  food  and  clothing  in  the  tomb  of 
the  dead;  placed  food  and  clothing  on  the  house- 
top for  those  killed  in  war  (whose  spirits  are  sup- 
posed to  live  in  the  air),  and  canoes  beside  the 
deadhouses  of  their  deceased  shamans. 

They  believed  firmly  (and  some  do  yet)  in  the 
transmigration  of  the  soul,  but  not  in  the  sense 
of  the  ancient  Egyptian's  belief.  They  believe 
that  the  soul  transmigrates  from  relative  to  rela- 
tive, but  not  from  man  to  animals.  For  instance, 
if  a  nephew  dies  who  has  borne  some  peculiar 
mark  (perhaps  a  birthmark)  on  his  person  and  an 
aunt  should  afterwards  give  birth  to  a  son  who 
was  similarly  marked,  it  would  be  fully  believed 
that  the  newly  born  was  none  other  than  the  de- 
parted nephew  and  his  name  would  be  given  to 
the  child.  It  is  in  this  sense  that  they  believe 
in  transmigration. 

The  place  where  the  souls  of  the  departed  dwell 
is  known  as  the  "  ghost's  "  or  the  "  spirit's  " 
home.  The  word  for  ghost  is  the  same  as  for 
spirit.  The  word  for  soul  is  ki-ya-hiya,  meaning, 
also,  picture  or  shadow.  When  this  ki-ya-hi-ya 
leaves  the  body,  if  the  person  dies  a  natural  death 
and  was  not  a  slave,  it  goes  to  the  happy  region 
of  spirits,  which  is  thought  of  as  being  in  some 
remote  part  of  the  earth;  if  he  die  in  war,  then 
it  goes  to  dwell  in  the  sky;  if  drowned,  then  it 
descends  to  a  region  below  the  plane  of  this  earth, 
providing  the  body  is  recovered,  but  if  not  recov- 
ered it  is  captured  by  the  Goosh-td-ka  and  taken 
back  into  the  woods. 

When  a  person  is  very  unhappy  in  this  world, 
his  uncle  or  aunt  comes  to  him  and  says,  "  You 


PROPITIATION  OF  EVIL  POWERS      235 

are  unhappy  where  you  are.  Now  come  with 
me."  Then  the  person  dies  and  goes  to  the  happy 
region  where  spirits  are  satisfied. 

According  to  tradition,  one  soul  came  back 
from  the  spirit-land  to  tell  the  living  just  how  they 
should  act  toward  the  dead,  or  departed  spirits. 
Weapons  must  be  buried  with  them  that  they  may 
protect  themselves  against  wild  beasts  and  ene- 
mies ;  gloves  and  moccasins  that  they  may  protect 
their  hands  and  feet  against  devilclubs  and 
briars;  and  water  to  quench  their  thirst.  When 
the  fire  crackles,  spirits  are  hungry  and  calling 
for  food.  Then  food  must  be  put  into  the  fire. 
Songs  must  be  sung  to  lead  the  soul.  Feasts  must 
be  given  as  a  benefit  to  the  spirits.  Believing 
firmly  in  this,  the  Thlinget  endeavours  to  carry 
it  out.  New  rifles  are  buried  with  the  dead  as 
weapons  of  defence  for  the  spirit.  The  houses  in 
the  spirit-land  are  named  the  same  as  the  name 
of  each  one's  deadhouse  in  this  world. 

Their  great  concern  has  been  to  propitiate  the 
powers  which  they  believed  had  power  to  harm 
them  or  give  them  success.  These  powers  were 
not  imaginary  deities,  but  their  totemic  imaginary 
magnified  animals  to  which  they  assigned  attri- 
butes appertaining  to  deity.  The  patron  bird  of 
the  Crow  phratry  is  not  the  small  crow  or  raven 
which  we  see  flying  about,  but  a  mammoth  imag- 
inary creature  of  that  species  possessed  with 
great  strength  and  full  of  cunning  and  wisdom. 
Other  invisible  powers  which  they  sought  to  ap- 
pease were  the  spirits  that  they  believed  existed 
about  them  in  almost  untold  numbers. 

The  shaman  was  believed  not  only  to  possess 
supernatural  power  in  himself,  but  to  be  in  com- 
munication with  the  unseen  powers  and  have  in- 


236  RELIGION 

fluence  with  them.  For  this  reason  his  services 
were  sought  and  he  himself  placated. 

We  have  been  able  to  find  no  term  in  their  lan- 
gnage  to  indicate  that  they  had  any  idea  of  a 
Supreme  Being  such  as  God.  The  term  they  now 
use  to  designate  the  Supreme  Being  is  De-ke  (up) 
On-Kowa  (Chief) ;  that  is,  the  Chief -above  (God). 
This  word  was  evidently  coined  after  they  had 
learned,  through  the  missionaries,  about  God. 

"  The  Alaskans  believe  in  the  existence  of  a 
Supreme  Being.  They  call  him  Teki-Ankaose. 
He  lives  on  the  summit  of  a  mountain,  an  arctic 
Olympus,  where  a  fresh  breeze  is  always  blow- 
ing." 

This  fanciful  writer  would  give  the  impression 
that  this  belief  was  original  with  them.  His 
"  Teki-Ankaose  "  is  clearly  the  native's  De-ke- 
Onkowa  (the-up-chief).  His  "  arctic  Olympus  " 
is  a  stretch  of  his  own  imagination.  The  Thlin- 
gets  are  many  hundred  miles  from  the  Arctic 
regions,  and  yet  he  uses,  as  near  as  he  knows  how, 
their  term  for  the  Supreme  Being.  The  unvar- 
nished truth  is  that  so  far  as  we  have  been  able 
to  learn,  through  years  of  research,  they  had  no 
idea  of  a  deity  like  God  until  they  were  taught  it. 

A  Hydah  reports  that  his  people  believe  in  a 
Supreme  Being.  He  does  not  say,  however,  that 
this  belief  was  original  with  them.  He  merely 
affirms  that  they  have  long  believed  this.  That 
may  be  so  and  the  belief  nevertheless  be  an 
adopted  one. 

Owing  to  their  belief  in  the  existence  of  a  limit- 
less number  of  spirits,  the  Thlingets  have  a  very 
interesting  cosmology.  The  sun  and  the  moon, 
as  well  as  the  earth,  are  the  abodes  of  numberless 
spirits ;  they  are  in  the  woods,  around  lakes,  along 


A   TROUT    STREAM 


THEIR  COSMOLOGY  237 

trails,  in  the  water,  rocks,  snow,  and  in  every 
other  object.  For  this  reason  all  things  are  con- 
jured and  nothing  is  contemptuously  referred  to. 
All  things  have  eyes  and  ears  through  the  spirits 
that  inhabit  them.  Hence  the  caution  that  people 
observe  when  speaking  about  them. 

They  are  careful  what  they  say  about  the  moon. 
Two  girls  were  once  carried  off  by  it  because  they 
remarked,  as  they  were  going  after  water,  ' '  That 
moon  looks  just  like  our  grandmother's  labret." 
Immediately  they  were  taken  up  into  the  moon, 
and  the  one  who  made  the  remark  was  broken 
to  pieces.  The  other  can  still  be  seen,  in  the 
moon,  holding  her  bucket. 

People  in  earlier  times  grasped  at  shadows  cast 
by  the  sun,  and  would  ask,  after  blowing  on  their 
hands,  "  Let  me  have  luck." 

The  sea  was  implored  for  all  sorts  of  things, 
but  particularly  for  sea-otter,  as  its  fur  is  so  very 
valuable.  Big  waves  were  propitiated  by  putting 
"  black  raven,"  charcoal,  on  them.  When  this 
was  done,  the  one  doing  it  would  say,  "  I  have 
put  this  on  you.  Please  stop." 

The  wind  was  talked  to  to  induce  it  to  moderate 
or  cease.  Sometimes  a  piece  of  fish  was  thrown 
to  it.  When  it  blew  very  hard  it  was  said  that 
some  one  had  been  talking  about  the  wolverine, 
as  it  was  believed  that  this  animal  had  special 
control  over  the  north  wind. 

When  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  glacier  or  big 
iceberg  the  Thlingets  always  talked  to  it,  saying, 
1  '  My  son 's  daughter,  be  very  careful.  You  might 
come  down  on  us." 

As  the  Eussians  first  discovered  and  colonized 
Alaska,  they  were  the  first  to  introduce  the  Chris- 
tian religion  to  the  natives.  The  Grseco-Eussian 


238  RELIGION 

church  was  in  Alaska  nearly  a  century  before  any 
other  church  entered  the  field.  Its  operations 
were  confined  principally  to  the  coast  tribes.  In 
the  communities  where  their  churches  were  built, 
the  priests  enrolled  all  the  natives  as  members. 
During  this  long  century  of  missionary  effort, 
this  church,  if  we  are  to  believe  the  statements 
of  able  historians  on  Alaska,  did  little  to  reclaim 
the  natives  from  vice,  immorality  and  heathen- 
ism. 

"  It  must  be  admitted,"  says  Bancroft,  "  that 
the  Greek  [Russian]  church  was  a  failure  through- 
out Kussian  America."  Minor  W.  Bruce,  an 
American  writer  whom  no  one  can  charge  with 
being  biased  against  the  Russians,  bears  witness 
to  the  same  truth,  and  Golovin,  a  Russian  writer, 
bears  similar  testimony. 

Judging  from  the  conditions  in  which  the  na- 
tives were  found  when  Alaska  was  turned  over  to 
the  United  States,  the  statements  of  these  writers 
would  seem  to  be  just. 

The  Russian  church  has  continued  to  labour 
with  the  natives,  and  with  those  of  their  own  na- 
tionality, down  to  the  present  day.  For  what- 
ever good  has  accrued  to  the  natives  in  the  last 
half  century  through  the  churches,  it  is  entitled 
to  its  share  of  credit  in  the  work.  Whatever 
might  have  been  the  lives  of  earlier  priests 
of  that  faith,  those  with  whom  we  have  been  per- 
sonally acquainted  and  beside  whom  we  have  la- 
boured, have  been  men  of  good  character  and 
loyal  to  their  work,  living  lives,  so  far  as  we 
know,  beyond  reproach. 

The  first  religious  work  among  any  of  the 
Thlingets  was  at  Sitka  in  the  year  1817,  when 
the  Russians  built  a  church  there. 


PROTESTANT  MISSIONS  239 

The  first  Protestant  service  held  in  Alaska  by 
an  American  after  the  purchase  by  the  United 
States  was  held  by  an  army  chaplain  at  Sitka, 
October  13,  1867.  This  was  for  white  people  and 
not  for  the  natives. 

No  religious  work  was  instituted  among  the  na- 
tives by  any  Protestant  church  until  ten  years 
after  the  American  occupation. 

Missions  for  the  natives  over  in  British  Colum- 
bia on  the  border  line  of  Alaska  had  been  estab- 
lished by  Protestants  some  years  previous  to  any 
work  being  done  for  the  aborigines  in  the  former 
country.  Notable  among  these  was  the  mission 
at  Metlakhatla.  That  work  has  been  so  long  in 
the  public  eye  that  no  word  that  could  be  said 
here  would  in  anywise  raise  it  in  the  public  es- 
teem. The  results  of  the  life-long  labours  of  Mr. 
William  Duncan  with  the  Metlakhatla  natives  are 
marvellous,  and  no  tongue  or  pen  can  adequately 
praise  such  heroic  self-abnegation  as  has  been 
shown  by  this  missionary  to  this  once  benighted 
people.  It  is  one  of  the  most  thrilling  missionary 
tales  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

The  first  religious  work  instituted  by  any 
Protestant  church  among  the  Thlingets  of  Alaska 
was  at  Wrangell,  by  the  Presbyterians,  in  1877. 
The  following  year  the  same  denomination  opened 
work  for  the  natives  at  Sitka.  Within  the  first 
decade  of  missionary  effort  of  this  church  several 
missions  were  established,  and  at  the  present  day 
there  are  sixteen  fields  in  southeastern  Alaska 
alone  where  they  are  doing  effective  work. 

Some  years  after  the  Presbyterian  Church 
opened  its  work  for  the  Thlingets,  other  denomina- 
tions entered  the  field,  notably  the  Friends,  the 
Episcopalians,  and  the  Salvation  Army.  As  has 


240  RELIGION 

been  said,  the  Eussian  Church  has  been  in  the 
field  since  1817. 

What  has  been  the  result  of  this  religious  effort 
among  the  natives?  We  will  let  men  who  cannot 
be  charged  with  being  biased  in  favour  of  the 
church  answer  first. 

It  could  never  be  justly  said  that  the  Hon.  A. 
P.  Swineford,  once  Governor  of  Alaska,  was  par- 
tial to  the  church.  In  his  book  on  Alaska,  we 
read,  "  The  superstitions  which  formerly  pre- 
vailed among  these  people  have  to  a  great  extent 
been  eradicated  through  the  influence  and  teach- 
ings of  the  Christian  missionaries. " 

"  By  the  united  efforts  of  the  officials  of  the 
civil  government  and  the  missionaries  this  bar- 
barous practice  [witchcraft]  has  been  practically 
broken  up.  Some  of  the  shamans  have  been  sub- 
jected to  summary  punishment,  in  cases  where 
the  law  could  not  readily  be  invoked ;  others  have 
been  indicted  and  convicted,  and  this,  together 
with  the  teachings  of  the  missionaries,  has  served 
to  practically  eradicate  from  among  them  the 
chief  superstition  to  which  they  were  for  cen- 
turies the  abject  slaves/' 

We  were  not  personally  acquainted  with  M.  M. 
Ballou,  as  we  were  with  the  Hon.  A.  P.  Swine- 
ford,  but,  judging  from  the  tone  of  his  book,  we 
would  not  take  him  as  having  any  bias  toward 
the  church.  In  "Alaska,"  we  read:  "Within 
the  last  twenty  years  greater  intelligence  has  been 
shown,  in  part  through  missionaries, — self-sacri- 
ficing and  devout  men, — who  have  sought  by  their 
teachings  to  abolish  the  wild  superstitions  of  the 
natives,  together  with  their  cruel  rights  of  shaman- 
ism." 

"  The  self-abnegation  and  conscientious  labour 


TESTIMONIES  OF  CHURCH  WORK 

of  these  people  [missionaries]  are  truly  worthy 
of  all  commendation. ' ' 

"  We  believe  the  Training  School  at  Sitka  ex- 
ercises a  much  higher  civilizing  influence,  where 
the  simplest  Christian  principles  are  taught,  com- 
bined with  common  school  studies,  and  where  in- 
struction is  given  in  the  daily  industries  of  life." 

Bancroft  was  an  impartial  historian.  We  read 
in  his  "  History  of  Alaska, "  "  For  several  years 
Protestant  missionaries  of  several  denominations, 
and  especially  the  Presbyterians,  have,  amid  great 
discouragements,  laboured  earnestly,  and  not  in 
vain,  to  introduce  their  faith  among  the  natives 
of  Alaska.  Meanwhile  their  efforts  in  the  cause 
of  education  have  been  no  less  persistent." 

It  cannot  be  said  that  Minor  W.  Bruce  is  a 
partisan  of  the  Church,  yet  in  his  "  Alaska  "  he 
pays  a  splendid  tribute  to  the  work  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. 

In  the  October  (1906)  number  of  the  "  Boston 
Alaskan,"  which  is  not  a  church  periodical,  we 
read  words  of  commendation  of  the  church  for 
its  part  in  civilizing  the  natives. 

A  few  letters  from  natives  who  have  been  in 
the  mission  schools  will  testify  as  to  the  results 
of  religious  work  among  them:  "  School  life  is 
for  the  young.  Young  people  have  good  times 
during  their  school  days,  but  we  young  people  go 
to  school,  not  only  to  have  a  good  time,  but  to 
learn  what  is  right,  and  to  do  good,  and  to  talk 
English.  We  are  here  in  school  so  that  we  may 
have  better  lives  when  we  go  away  from  here. 
So  we  must  not  idle  away  our  time,  but  we  must 
work,  and  use  our  time  well.  We  must  try  to 
learn  all  we  can  to  tell  our  companions,  who  have 
not  been  to  school,  about  this  good  life.  I  try  to 


RELIGION 

keep  it.  I  shall  never  forget  it.  This  is  the  most 
precious  time  of  our  life.  So  we  must  keep  it  in 
our  head. 

"Why  is  it  we  have  school  life?  Well,  we 
Thlinget  people  never  had  schools  among  us  be- 
fore, and  we  didn't  know  how  to  live  right;  now 
we  have  teachers  to  teach  us  how.  It  is  in  school 
we  are  getting  strong.  When  we  grow  up,  we  will 
be  the  leaders  of  our  people.  I  don't  think  they 
know  anything  about  the  good  life.  No,  they 
don't;  only  we  know,  so  we  must  tell  them  about 
it."  (Mary  E.  Kadashan,  a  Chilkat.) 

"  MY  DEAE  FRIEND: — 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  I  think  all  time.  Father 
says  nine  years  old  me.  I  thank  you  for  you  pay 
for  me  my  teacher  says.  My  uncle  says  I  have  to 
stay  here  twenty  years.  I  don't  want  more  than 
five  years.  My  father  is  dead,  so  I  have  no  home. 
My  sister  says  '  Don't  anywhere  go  you,  just  in 
mission  stay  you. '  My  sister  says  when  five  years 
gone  next  five  year's  more  I'll  stay. 

"  I  am  trying  to  get  to  the  Third  reader.  I 
hard  study  me-  my  second  Reader.  I  am  a  little 
boy,  but  I  just  try  to  know  something  more  so 
good  man  me. 

"  Good-bye, 

"  JOHNNIE  JOHNSON." 

' '  I  am  going  to  consider  for  a  few  minutes  the 
opportunities  of  a  young  native  woman  of  Alaska. 
Of  course  our  career  in  life  necessarily  must  be 
different  from  that  of  a  white  girl,  although  we 
may  have  had  the  same  schooling.  Our  home  life 
has  been  different,  our  environments  are  different 
and  the  public  does  not  look  upon  us  in  the  same 
way,  but  I  am  going  to  prove  to  you  that  there  is 


TESTIMONIES  OF  CHURCH  WORK 

a  place  for  us,  the  native  girls,  and  a  great  work 
for  us  to  do ;  and  more  than  that,  that  we  are  able 
to  support  ourselves.  The  first  opportunity  the 
native  girl  has  is  her  schooling.  .  .  .  Here  we 
are  instructed  by  our  teachers  about  housekeep- 
ing, sewing,  cooking  and  dressmaking;  all  these 
things  help  us  to  make  our  living.  .  .  . 

"  A  young  lady  may  be  useful  in  many  ways. 
She  may  be  used  as  a  school-teacher  in  the  govern- 
ment schools,  or  as  a  nurse  to  help  to  stamp  out 
the  consumption  from  among  our  own  people.  We 
have  several  cases  of  girls  who  have  done  this  and 
are  making  a  success. 

"  There  is  no  nobler  work  for  a  girl  than  that 
of  improving  the  conditions  of  a  home,  for  on 
the  home  depends  the  advancement  of  the  people. 
Surely  education  and  instruction  has  brought 
about  a  marked  change  in  our  homes  and  mode  of 
living."  (Fanny  Phillips,  a  native  of  Chilkat.) 

We  have  many  other  letters  from  natives  which 
might  be  submitted  to  show  how  they  appreciate 
the  efforts  of  educational  and  religious  workers 
among  them. 

A  writer  in  a  periodical  says,  "  The  Indians 
[Alaskans]  are  getting  a  better  hold  every  year 
on  the  principles  of  Christianity.  They  are  em- 
phatically in  earnest  about  it,  and  as  a  consequence 
there  has  been  great  improvement.  Their  critics 
fail  to  appreciate  that  they  are  expected  to  do  in 
a  few  years  what  has  taken  the  Anglo-Saxon 
1,200  years  to  accomplish.  It  may  be  said  to  the 
credit  of  the  Indians  that  they  have  progressed 
much  more  rapidly  than  did  the  Anglo-Saxon. 

"  We  find  among  them  even  to-day  men  of  as 
high  ideas  of  Christian  life  as  are  found  among 
white  people  in  the  older  communities.  The  work 


RELIGION 

that  is  being  done  among  them  is  bearing  fruit 
in  genuine  Christian  men  and  women. ' ' 

We  could  multiply  such  testimony  as  we  have 
now  submitted,  but  the  limitations  of  our  work 
will  not  permit  it. 

Only  the  ignorant,  the  thoughtless,  or  the 
vicious  will  be  heard  condemning  and  speaking 
contemptuously  of  the  work  of  teachers  and  mis- 
sionaries. 

No  class  of  men  and  women  are  more  keenly 
aware  of  their  limitations  or  more  deeply  deplore 
the  fact  that  the  natives  are  not  as  a  whole  on  a 
much  higher  plane  of  life,  than  the  missionaries. 
But  as  Eome  was  not  built  in  a  day,  nor  the  Eng- 
lish race  evolved  in  a  week,  so  they  know  that  it 
takes  time  to  lift  a  savage  to  a  high  plane  of 
civilization.  And  what  is  more,  if  the  vicious  of 
their  own  race  did  not  impose  so  many  obstacles, 
even  this  could  be  done  much  quicker  than  it  is. 


XXIV 
EDUCATION 

TEN  years  rolled  away  after  the  American  oc- 
cupation of  Alaska  before  anything  was 
done  by  our  government  or  by  other  agency 
for  the  education  of  the  natives  of  the  country. 
The  initial  move  in  this  direction  was  made  by 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  the  first  denomination 
to  enter  Alaska  after  its  purchase  by  the  United 
States. 

"  Within  less  than  a  decade  [from  the  begin- 
ning of  missionary  effort  in  Alaska]  more  has 
been  done  by  this  society  [Presbyterian  Board  of 
Missions]  to  advance  the  cause  of  education  in 
Alaska  than  was  otherwise  accomplished  during 
all  the  years  of  Eussian  domination. ' ' 

"  Were  it  not  for  the  efforts  of  the  Board  of 
Missions  [Presbyterian],  there  would  probably 
have  been  no  efficient  school,  and  perhaps  no 
school  of  any  kind,  in  the  territory,  apart  from 
those  maintained  by  the  Alaska  Commercial  Com- 
pany "  (at  St.  Paul  and  St.  George  islands  in  the 
Bering  Sea). 

In  a  letter  dated  December  31, 1882,  Dr.  Sheldon 
Jackson  stated  that  there  were  ' '  seven  good  Eng- 
lish schools  in  the  Alexander  Archipelago,  six  of 
which  were  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the 
Board  [Presbyterian],  three  of  them  having 
boarding  and  industrial  departments." 

The  first  school  for  the  Thlingets  was  estab- 

245 


246  EDUCATION 

lished  in  the  year  1877  at  Wrangell  tinder  the  aus- 
pices of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  in  connec- 
tion with  its  mission  at  that  place.  Mrs.  A.  R. 
McFarland  of  that  church,  the  first  Protestant 
missionary  to  the  natives  of  Alaska,  was  the 
teacher.  She  found  the  people  groping  after  the 
light.  A  little  band  of  aspiring  natives  who  had 
come  to  Wrangell  from  Port  Simpson,  B.  C., 
where  they  had  received  some  education,  were 
zealously  doing  what  they  could  to  impart  their 
knowledge  to  their  fellow-men  of  the  former  place. 
Thus  the  missionary  found  the  soil  prepared  for 
sowing  the  seeds  of  education  among  the 
Thlingets. 

By  1882  six  schools  had  been  established  at  dif- 
ferent places  among  the  Thlingets  by  the  same 
agency. 

As  fast  as  new  missions  opened  up,  schools  were 
established  in  connection  with  them.  For  the  first 
decade,  after  the  Presbyterian  Church  entered 
Alaska,  it  alone  cared  for  the  education  of  the 
natives. 

"  American  governmental  control  left  to  abso- 
lute neglect  for  eighteen  years  the  important 
question  of  education  [of  the  natives  of  Alaska]. 
.  .  .  Stimulated  by  appeals  from  officers  of  the1 
army,  American  missionary  societies  were  not  en- 
tirely neglectful  of  Alaska's  necessities,  and  in 
1877  the  Presbyterians,  through  their  agent,  Dr. 
Sheldon  Jackson,  established  schools  in  south- 
eastern Alaska,  their  example  being  soon  followed 
by  other  missionary  societies." 

According  to  the  same  authority  (Greely)  the 
government  did  not  assume  its  duties  in  the  edu- 
cation of  the  natives  until  it  was  "  finally  forced 
by  public  opinion  "  to  do  so. 


NEGLECT  OF  U.  S.  GOVERNMENT      247 

In  1885  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  called  the 
attention  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education  to  the 
provision  made  by  law  for  the  education  of  chil- 
dren in  Alaska,  regardless  of  race. 

After  incessant  appeals  Congress  appropriated 
the  niggardly  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars 
for  education  in  the  territory.  Having  no  school 
plant  of  its  own,  this  appropriation  was  given 
over  to  the  missions,  and  government  contracted 
with  them  to  look  after  the  education  of  the  na- 
tives in  particular.  The  missions  "  generously 
supplemented  the  deficient  support  of  the  na- 

tion- ' '  Baocrotc  Ubraci 

For  a  period  of  ten  years  after  making  this 

feeble  effort,  to  do  something  for  the  education 
of  the  natives,  nothing  better  was  done. 

Schoolhouses  were  finally  built,  practically  in 
every  village.  Only  the  rudiments  of  English 
were  taught.  No  industrial  training  whatever 
was  given  in  these  government  schools  down  to  the 
year  1908.  The  only  training  of  this  kind  had 
been  in  connection  with  the  mission  schools.  The 
leading  industrial  training  school  of  the  country 
is  that  of  Sitka  conducted  by  the  Women's  Board 
of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
This  institution  has  exerted  greater  educational 
influence  on  the  natives  than  all  other  agencies 
put  together.  It  was  established  in  1880,  and 
more  natives  have  received  instruction  here  than 
at  any  other  institution.  Children  from  all  over 
the  country  enter  it,  and  in  no  year  in  its  history 
could  it  begin  to  receive  all  applicants  for  admis- 
sion. Many  natives  have  been  doomed  to  a  life 
of  ignorance  by  our  government's  failure  to  pro- 
vide education  for  them.  For  years  the  school 
could  receive  applicants  for  admission  only  as  it 


248  EDUCATION 

dismissed  its  graduates  and  those  who  had  ful- 
filled their  period  of  contract,  and  thus  made  room 
for  new  pupils. 

It  is  a  burning  shame  that  our  government  did 
not  establish,  years  ago,  a  well-equipped  training 
school  for  the  natives  of  Alaska.  Nor  does  it 
become  any  one  to  belittle  the  work  the  missions 
have  done  because  they  do  not  find  the  natives 
fully  enlightened  and  emancipated  from  their  old 
customs.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  missions  they 
would  be  in  dense  ignorance  to  this  day  for  all 
effort  that  the  government  has  made. 

"  The  Sitka  Industrial  School  is  the  most  in- 
teresting feature  of  the  town  [Sitka],  because 
one  cannot  fail  to  realize  how  much  good  it  is 
accomplishing  in  the  way  of  practical  civilization 
and  real  education  among  the  natives.  At  this 
writing  there  are  nearly  one  hundred  boys,  and 
about  sixty  girls  and  young  women,  who  are  under 
the  parental  care  of  the  institution.  The  teaching 
force  consists  of  a  dozen  earnest  workers,  mostly 
ladies  from  the  Eastern  States.  Besides  the 
ordinary  English  branches  taught  in  the  school, 
the  girls  are  trained  to  cook,  wash,  iron,  sew, 
knit  and  to  make  their  own  clothes.  The  boys 
are  taught'  carpentry,  house-building,  cabinet- 
making,  blacksmithing,  boat-building,  shoemaking 
and  other  industries.  The  work  of  the  school  is 
so  arranged  that  each  boy  and  girl  attends  school 
half  a  day,  and  works  half  a  day.  The  results 
thus  brought  about  are  admirable.  Fifteen  dif- 
ferent tribes  are  represented  in  this  Sitka  Indus- 
trial School.  English-speaking  young  natives  who 
have  been  trained  here  readily  obtain  good  wages 
at  the  mines,  in  the  fish-canneries,  and  wherever 
they  apply  for  employment  among  the  white  resi- 


SWINEFORD'S  TESTIMONY  249 

dents  of  the  Territory,  while  their  influence  with 
their  tribes  is  very  great. "  * 

The  Hon.  A.  P.  Swineford  and  other  reliable 
writers  on  Alaska  bear  testimony  to  the  merits  of 
this  institution.  He  who  has  only  criticism  to 
offer  because  the  missions  have  not  already  lifted 
every  native  to  an  absolute  state  of  perfection  is 
both  unreasonable  and  unjust.  The  missions  have 
done  their  best  with  the  means  at  their  command. 
But  the  very  best  of  their  schools  were,  for  lack 
of  money,  poorly  equipped. 

The  government  has  the  people's  money  to  be 
applied  to  such  work.  We  pay  money  into  its 
coffers  in  duties,  taxes,  licenses,  etc.,  and  on  top 
of  that  go  down  into  our  pockets  for  money  to 
build  industrial  and  other  schools  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  government  to  provide.  Thousands 
of  dollars  are  diverted  every  year  from  the  spirit- 
ual interests  of  the  church  to  minister  to  the  tem- 
poral welfare  of  men.  The  care  of  some  of  these 
interests  has  been  assumed  by  the  church  because 
the  government  has  not  made  adequate  provision 
for  them.  Schools,  hospitals,  orphanages,  homes 
for  the  indigent  and  similar  institutions  should  be 
maintained,  if  not  conducted  and  controlled,  by  the 
government. 

Whose  children  are  these  that  enter  schools, 
whose  sick  that  enter  hospitals,  whose  orphans 
that  enter  orphanages,  whose  indigent  and  help- 
less that  need  homes  of  refuge  and  care?  The 
government's.  Perhaps  not  five  per  cent  of  them 
are  within  the  pale  of  the  church.  And  yet  the 
church  is  supposed  to  add  to  its  financial  burdens 
the  support  of  such  institutions  and  in  many  in- 
stances is  doing  it  without  receiving  contributions 

*  "  Alaska,"  by  Ballon,  page  306. 


250  EDUCATION 

from  the  non-church  classes,  while  all  are  con- 
tributing to  the  government.  A  small  part  of  the 
public  money  wasted  on  foolish  functions,  naval 
displays  and  useless  court  procedures  would  more 
than  maintain  all  such  needed  institutions. 

The  new  Presbyterian  Mission  plant  in  Sitka 
is  an  institution  in  which  we  may  take  a  just  pride. 
It  was  built  at  a  cost  of  about  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  is  fully  equipped  for  its  work  and 
has  a  very  efficient  corps  of  instructors.  It  is 
the  only  industrial  training  school  of  its  kind  and 
of  any  pretensions  in  the  country.  The  church 
that  built  it  should  have  the  everlasting  gratitude 
of  the  natives  and  of  the  white  citizens  of  the 
country  who  have  the  best  interests  of  the  land 
at  heart. 

The  government  is  now  trying  to  graft  indus- 
trial training  on  to  its  ordinary  day  schools  with- 
out supplying  competent  trainers.  Women 
teachers  who  know  little  or  nothing  about  indus- 
tries for  men  are  expected  to  teach  such  in  con- 
nection with  all  their  other  school  work.  This  is 
no  reflection  on  the  noble  band  of  school  teachers 
in  the  native  schools  of  Alaska.  They  are  well 
fitted  to  teach  what  they  should  be  expected  to 
teach,  the  English  branches,  kindergarten  and 
sloyd  work.  But  for  the  government  to  suppose 
for  one  moment  that  the  present  system  is  all  that 
is  required  to  train  the  natives  in  the  various 
industries  of  life,  or  that  it  takes  the  place  of  a 
well-equipped  industrial  training  school,  is  the 
sheerest  nonsense.  The  teachers  under  the  pres- 
ent system  do  the  best  they  can,  but  they  are 
overloaded  and  assigned  tasks  beyond  their  ability 
to  meet. 

The  natives  show  an  aptitude  in  acquiring  and 


NATIVE  APTITUDE  FOR  TRADES      251 

mastering  trades  which  is  little  less  than  sur- 
prising. With  little  or  no  training  in  carpentry 
they  build  their  own  houses  and  many  of  them 
their  boats.  Some  do  first-class  work.  Many  of 
them  are  skilled  carvers.  What  trade  could  they 
not  master,  and  that  well,  if  they  only  had  com- 
petent and  sufficient  instruction? 

What  they  get  from  the  mission  and  govern- 
ment schools  is  good  so  far  as  it  goes.  But  it  is 
deficient. 

The  trades  which  apply  to  their  own  country, 
such  as  carpentry,  boat-building,  blacksmithing, 
tinning,  plumbing,  mining  and  others  should  be 
taught  the  native  youth,  and  dressmaking  and  the 
domestic  sciences  to  the  girls.  And  this  should 
be  done  by  the  government  through  such  an  in- 
dustrial system  as  it  carries  on  at  Carlisle, 
Pennsylvania,  or  at  Chemawa,  Oregon.  Playing 
at  the  education  of  the  natives  of  Alaska  by  the 
government  should  come  to  an  end,  and  something 
real  and  substantial  be  given  them. 

The  progress  which  they  have  made  under  so  - 
deficient  a  system  shows  what  could  be  done  under 
an  efficient  one.  In  spite  of  their  disadvantages 
and  the  poor  equipment  for  training,  we  have 
some  who  are  now  school-teachers,  assistants  to 
ministers,  skilled  miners,  boat-builders,  black- 
smiths, silversmiths,  carpenters  and  shoemakers 
among  the  men,  and  good  dressmakers  and  house- 
keepers among  the  girls  and  women.  But  they  are 
indebted  to  the  church  more  than  to  any  other 
institution  for  these  acquirements. 

Even  the  few  who  have  gone  to  the  government 
schools  in  the  States  were  prepared  by  the 
churches  to  enter  these  schools  and,  in  most  cases, 
sent  by  them. 


EDUCATION 

They  should  have  helpful  opportunities  in  their 
own  country.  They  are  bound  to  live  among  their 
own  people  and  they  should  be  prepared  to  do 
their  best  for  the  good  of  their  people. 

The  climate  of  the  States  is  not  conducive  to 
their  health.  The  wide  separation  from  their 
kindred  produces  pining  and  homesickness  which 
pave  the  way  for  disease.  No  people  on  earth  are 
more  attached  to  home  than  these  natives.  Home- 
sickness, therefore,  is  a  common  malady  with 
them.  If  they  stay  through  the  contract  period 
of  five  or  ten  years,  as  required  by  the  schools, 
they  grow  away  from  home-life  and  when  they 
return  they  are  out  of  sympathy  with  it  and  no 
longer  contented.  Their  people  notice  the  change 
of  feeling,  and  an  estrangement  between  them 
follows.  If  their  training  had  been  in  the  midst 
of  their  people  such  estrangements  would  not 
take  place. 

It  should  be  borne  well  in  mind  that  the  natives 
of  Alaska  will  stick  to  their  own  country  until  the 
race  has  expired.  No  considerable  number  of 
them  will  ever  settle  in  the  States.  Alaska  is 
where  they  must  fight  their  battles  for  a  liveli- 
hood. Nothing  should  be  done  to  break  the 
Alaskan's  attachment  to  his  country  or  to  make 
him  discontented  with  it  and  his*  people.  He 
should  be  encouraged  to  use  his  education  for  the 
enlightenment  and  amelioration  of  his  people. 
His  education  and  training,  therefore,  should  be 
given  him  in  his  own  land. 

We  have  known  several  who  were  educated  in 
the  States  and  were  wholly  unhappy  after  return- 
ing to  Alaska.  Had  their  education  been  con- 
ducted in  their  own  country  they  would  not  have 
been  thus  weaned  away  from  it.  This  would  be 


REASON  FOR  HOME  EDUCATION       253 

all  right  if  there  were  any  hope  of  the  white  race 
assimilating  them,  and  if  they  were  not  needed 
to  help  elevate  their  own  people  as  a  whole.  But 
with  this  feeling  they  sometimes  drift  off  to  live 
an  isolated  life,  away  from  all  relatives,  and  their 
relatives  lose  entirely  any  elevating  influence  they 
might  exert  upon  them  were  they  among  them. 

As  we  write,  we  have  in  mind  a  graduate  of  one 
of  our  schools  in  the  States.  She  came  back  to  her 
people  but  was  discontented.  She  soon  returned 
to  the  States  and  is  now  employed  there.  This 
separates  her  entirely  from  her  relatives,  and  her 
education  has  no  bearing  on  their  elevation. 

Of  course  we  are  glad  when  they  have  reached 
that  stage  of  life  where  they  are  dissatisfied  with 
the  way  their  ancestors  have  lived.  And,  further- 
more, we  are  glad  when  those  who  have  been  in 
our  schools  and  return  home  do  not  wish  to  con- 
form to  the  common  native  life.  But  we  would 
like  to  see  more  of  them  using  their  education 
and  attainments  for  the  uplift  of  their  own 
people. 

11  The  natives  almost  universally  welcome  and 
gladly  improve  the  advantages  offered  them  for 
instruction,  especially  as  regards  their  children. 
Many  individual  cases  with  which  the  author  be- 
came acquainted  were  of  much  more  than  ordinary 
interest;  indeed,  it  was  quite  touching  to  observe 
the  eagerness  of  young  natives  to  gain  intellectual 
culture.  Surely  this  incentive  is  worthy  of  all 
encouragement. ' ' 

Under  their  limited  opportunities  many  of  them 
now  speak  the  English  well  and  have  a  fair  knowl- 
edge of  reading  and  writing.  Had  they  better  edu- 
cational facilities  there  is  no  reason  why  some  of 
them,  at  least,  could  not  take  their  places  as  edu- 


254  EDUCATION 

cators  by  the  side  of  white  merchants,  profes- 
sional men  and  educators. 

Our  appeal,  therefore,  is  that  our  government 
give  them  better  educational  opportunities. 

He  who  writes  of  the  natives  of  Alaska  a  gen- 
eration hence  will  have  a  different  story  to  tell, 
at  least  in  part,  than  is  told  in  these  pages.  Every 
year  sees  changes  in  the  lives  and  manners  of 
these  people.  It  is  no  wild  prophesying  to  predict 
that  in  another  generation  the  entire  population 
will  be  speaking  English.  The  leaven  is  working, 
and  in  a  few  years,  at  the  most,  the  entire  lump 
will  be  leavened.  This  will  mean  a  higher  plane 
of  life  for  the  natives. 


U.S. GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 


174"  iw  ie«*  i«2» 


MAP  OF 

ALASKA 


BULLETIN   NO.  218     PL.* 


INDEX 


Abalone,    70 

Aborigines,  23,  31,  32 

Abortion,  219 

Adz,  79,  177 

Affection,  99 

Al-ak-shak,  17 

Alaska,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21 

Alaskans,    28,    30 

Aleutian  Islands,  20 

Aleuts,   23,  24,    113 

Amusements,   100,  204,  205 

Ancestor  Worship,  232 

Ancestry,  173 

Angoon,  143,  195 

Animals,  107,  164,  232,  233 

Appearance,  64 

Archipelago,    18 

Arctander,  J.  W.,  32 

Area,    18 

Art,   175,   177 

Article,   40 

Asia,  32 

Asiatics,  31 

Atlas   (old  woman),  186 

Auks,   25,  26 

Aunt,  39 

Aurora  Borealis,  163 

Authority,  44,   61 

Ballou,  M.  M.,  53,  65,  68,  216, 
217,  225,  227,  232,  240, 
249 

Bancroft,  H.  H.,  32,  116,  216, 
217,  223,  238,  241 

Banquets,    111 

Basketry,  76,  85-91 

Basket-weaving,    89 

Bath,  227 

Beaches,  53 

Bead-work,  78 

Bear,   74 

Bear  Totem,  170,  171 


Beauty,  70,  131 

Beaver,  185-6 

Berries,  20,  108-9,  159,  172 

Birds,    21 

Birth,  45,  161-2 

Biting,  50 

Boston,  24 

Boston  Alaskan,  241 

Blanket,   64,   76 

Blarney  Stone,  191 

Bleeding,   226 

Blindness,  230 

Blue  jay,   187 

Bracelets,  67,  68 

Brass    Band,    203 

Bridegroom,    209 

Brother,  38 

Bruce,  Minor  W.,  19,  28,  181, 

238,  241 
Burial,  118,  136,  137,  147,  etc. 

Camps,   59 

Canada,   17 

Canneries,  2,  72 

Canoe,  26,   79 

Canoe-building  78,  79 

Canoe-racing,  81 

Carving,  75 

Caste,  44,  56,  59,  116,  117,  118, 

173,  193 
Celery,  110 
Changes,  62,  254 
Chant,    143,   160,  204 
Character,  17,  21 
Charms,  163 
Chastity,  214,  215 
Chich'g,  173 

Chief,  56,  61,  115,  139,  201,  236 
Children,  44,  45,  60,  200 
Chilkat   River,    156,    165,    166, 

191 
Chilkats,   25,  26,  82,   115 


255 


256 


INDEX 


Chinese,  28,  73 

Chinook,  36,  43 

Christianity,   243 

Chuk-a-nady,  25 

Chukchi,  31,  32 

Church,     63,     238,     239,     240, 

241 

Citizenship,  42 
Civilization,   244 
Claims,  86,  149 
Clans,   25,   170,  178,  179 
Classes,   61 
Climate,  19,  229 
Clothes,  64 
Coastline,  18 
Community,  53 
Compensation,  200 
Conflicts,   115 
Congress,  247 
Consumption,  221-3 
Contagion,  223 
Contempt,  95 
Cooking,  48,  111 
Cordage,  73 
Corruptions,  36 
Cosmology,  236-7 
Cottages,  57 
Crabapples,    109 
Crafty,  96 
Creation,   184 
Creator,   184 

Cremation,  119,  150,  151,  153 
Crests,  25,  169,   175,  179 
Crime,  45,  193,  217,  218 
Crow,  25,  69,  77,  165,  170,  171, 

172,  182-3,  235 
Cunning,  97 
Customs,   33,   112 

Ball,  Wm.  H.,  28,  46,  170,  172 
Dance-halls,  205 
Dancing,  143-4 
Damages,  173,  195 
Darwinians,   172 
Da-se-ton,    185 
Davis,  Samuel,  181 
Dead-houses,    119,    137 
Death,    135,    137 
Debauchery,  215,  216 
Deer,  40 


Deformities,  230 

Degeneracy,  34 

Deity,    231,   233,   235 

De-ke-onkowa,  236 

Delicacies,  107 

Delivery,   46 

Demonologists,  231 

Designs,  121,  175 

Devilfish,    123,    188 

Diseases,  154,  221,  etc. 

Disgrace,  126,  213 

Divisions,  25,  170-1 

Dogs,   49,    151,  209 

Dog-salmon,  103 

Domestic  Life,  47 

Dose,  229 

Douglas,  25,    198 

Dowry,   127,   129,  201 

Doxology,  39 

Dreams,  166 

Dress,   64 

Drowning,  165,   199 

Drum,   142,  144,   160,  161,  203 

Ducks,  108 

Duk-dain-ton,  25 

Duk-la-wady,  25 

Duncan,  Wm.,  42,  172,  239 

Dyes,  88,  89,  121 

Eagle,  122,  165,  170,  178,  191 

Earrings,  66,   67,   144 

Earthquake,  186 

Edgecumbe,    191 

Education,  245 

Embalming,    151 

Emblems,    35,    169 

Emmons,  G.  T.,  86 

Endurance,  99 

English,  36,  37,  38,  40,  41,  240, 

254 

Enlightenment,  22 
Enterprise,    82,    83 
Eskimo,  17,  23,  24 
Ethics,  212,  214 
Evil  Spirits,  162,  232 

Face-painting,   69 
False  Teeth,  210-11 
Families,  23,  25 
Family,  45,  47 


INDEX 


257 


Fasting,  140,  155,  228 

Father,  37,  44 

Feasts,  59,  60,  135,  150,  204,  235 

Fetich,   158,  233 

Feuds,    114,    139 

Fibre,  73 

Fickle,   98 

Fight  at  Hootz-na-oo,  200 

Finery,  65 

Fish,  21,  103 

Fisheries,  22 

Fishing,  72 

Fish-traps,   73 

Flags,  141,  206 

Flood,  188 

Flour,    111 

Flowers,  20 

Fluency,   101 

Folk-lore,    181 

Fowl,  108 

Freaks,  230 

Frobese,  J.  E.,  171 

Frog,  170,  171,  180 

Fruits,   109 

Furs,  74 

Gambling,  122 

Gambling  Sticks,  122,  123 

Games,  205-6 

Genealogy,  175 

Gender,    40 

Generic,  40 

Generosity,   199 

Ghost,    165,   232 

Giant,   184 

Giving,    199-200,   247 

Glacier,  237 

Golovin,  238 

Goosh-ta-kah,  165,  232,  234 

Gossiping,  50,  58 

Government,    193,   229,   245 

Grampus,  165,  179,  180 

Gratitude,   102 

Greek  Church,  238 

Greely,  Major  A.  W.,  246 

Guests,  141,  174,  199 

Gum,  110 

Hagoo,  206 
Haines,  25 


Half-breeds,  45,   132 
Halibut,    22,    72,    104 
Hanega,   25 
Harbours,   18 
Hat,  180,  199 
Headgear,  65 
Heirlooms,  142,  144,  147 
Herring,  22,  104,  105 
Higginson,   Ella,   24 
High-caste,  56,  59,  68,  136,  178, 

198 

Hobgoblin,  165 
Hoonahs,   74 
Hootz,   173 
Hootz-hit,  178 
Hootz-na-oo,  200 
Hootz-na-oos,    26,    145 
Homesickness,  252 
Hospital,  229 
Hospitality,   99,   173 
Hot,  173 
Hounding,   95 
Houses,    54,    55 
House  Totems,  189 
Humour,   207 
Humpbacks,  224 
Hunting,  74 
Husband,  44 
Hutton,  P.  C.,  222,  225 
Hydaburg,  83 
Hydahs,    24,   74,   83,    112,    180 

Iceberg,  187 
Idiocy,  224 
Idolatry,   170 
Idols,    169,    170 
Ikt,  61,   154,  etc.,  233 
Immorality,    213 
Immortality,  234 
Implements,   116 
Independence,   92 
Indians,  23,  28,  29 
Indian  Training,  243-4 
Industries,   22,   72 
Infanticide,  121 
Insanity,   224 
Islanders,  33 
Islands,  18 
Insults,  94 
Italy,  17 


258 


INDEX 


Jackson,    Sheldon,    17,    19,   23, 

181,  246 
Japanese,   20,   28,   29,   30,   31, 

32,  34 

Jealousy,   96,   115,    144 
Jewellery,  67 
Johnson,  Johnny,  242 
Juneau,  25,  26 

Kaaks,  25 

Kadashan,  M.  R.,  242 

Ka-ga-ne-e-thloot,  164 

Kak-sudy,  25 

Kamchatka,  31,  34 

Kassan,  81 

Katlian,  113 

Keet,    69,    173,    179,    180 

Keet-hit,  178 

Killisnoo,  26,  185,  227 

Kin-da-goosh,  165,  166 

Klawock,  25 

Kle-na-dy,  25 

Klinquan,    177 

Klondike,  75,  82 

Kluckwan,    57,    83,     88,     117, 

190,  191 

Kluk-na-hudy,   25 
Kok-won-ton,    25,    179-80 
Koreans,  32 
Kot,  88 
Ko-te-a,  169 

Labret,  68,  237 

Land-otter,    165 

Language,  24,  26,  35,  etc. 

Laws,  202 

Legends,    140,    181,    etc.,    189 

Levirate  marriage,  129 

Liabilities,  198 

Life   for   life,    193 

Lineage,  174 

Liquor,   215,  etc. 

Llwyd,  J.  P.  D.,  30 

Loans,  199 

Love-potions,    164,   167 

Low-caste,  59,  60,  173 

Man's  Totem,  171 
Manumission,  118 


Marriage,    124,    173,   209,   212, 

213,  214 

Masks,    137,    190 
Massacre,  96,   113 
McFarland,  A.  R.,  246 
Measles,  223 
Measures,   108 

Medicine-men   (see  Shaman) 
Medicines,  167,  226 
Metlakhatla,  239 
Mexico,    17 
Mines,  22 
Mining,   73-4 
Missionaries,  41,  148,  217,  240, 

241 

Missions,   239,   245 
JMitkeen,  96 
Moccasins,  76 
Modesty,   146 
Mongolian,    28,    30,    31 
Morality,   212 
Mortality,  222 
Mortuary  Poles,  152,  177 
Mosquito,  184-5 
Mother-of-baskets,  88,  115 
Mountains,  18 
Mourners,   147,  148 
Mummies,  151 
Murder,  193,  218 
Museum,    178-180 
Music,   203 
Myths,  181 

Nagon,  123 
Names,   36,   37,   60 
Nature  Worship,  233 
Naukth,  88 
Navigation,   18 
Negro,  33,  210 
Nephew,  38,  45,  129 
Niece,  45 
Nicknames,  36 
Norway,  17 
Nouns,    38 
Nursing,  226,  228 
Nush-ke-ton,  25 

Obligations,    138,    219 
Observant,    100 
Oils,  22,  104 


INDEX 


259 


Oolikan,    104,    105,    106,    107, 

165 

Omens,  162-3 
On-kow-wa,  61 
Ophthalmia,   224 
Ordeals,  167 

Origin,  27-34,  172,  184,  185 
Original  Beliefs,  232 
Original   Diseases,   224 
Origin  of  Caste,  59 
Origin  of  Totemism,  172 
Ornamentation,    66 
Orphan,  44 

Packing,  75 

Pappoose,  46 

Paraphernalia,    61,    142,     155, 

173 

Parental  Laxness,  47 
Peritonitis,  227 
Petersburg,  25 
Phillips,  Fanny,  243 
Philter,  164 
Phonograph,  207,  210 
Phratries,    60,    141,    170,    171, 

179 

Politic,   97 
Polyandry,  47 
Polygamy,  120 
Population,  23 
Potlatches,  56,  62,  93,  135,  140, 

141,   142,  143 
Pottery,  78 
Pott's  Disease,  224 
Preacher,  140 
Presbyterian  Church,  247 
Presbyterian  Mission,   57 
Presbyterians,  239-47,  250 
Prisoners  of  War,   113 
Privacy,   58 
Profanity,   220 
Progress,   251 
Pronouns,   40 
Property,    93,    96,    132,    137-8, 

199,  202 
Prophet,  159 

Protestant  Church,  239-47 
Protestants,   239 
Public  Utilities,  56,  57 
Punishment,   47,   156,   202 


Quarrels,    50,   58,    139 
Quass,  216 

Racing,   81 
Rank,  50,  173 

Raven,    165,    188,   204,   235 
Relatives,    44 
^Religion,  231 
Replogle,  Chas.,  29 
Resources,  21 
Responsibility,  196 
Revenge,  96 
Rings,   66 
"Rubbers,"  228 
Rum,  217 

Russians,    31,    113,    114,    216, 
223,  237,  238 

Sacrifice  of  Slaves,  117,  118 
Sailors,  223 
Salmon,    103,    104 
Samhat  (chief),  81 
San  Francisco,  19 
Sanitation,  57,   225 
Saw-mills,  22 
School,  63,  245-51 
Sculpin,   182 
Seal,  74,   104,  107 
Sea-otter,    74 
Seaweed    as    Food,    110 
Self-supporting,   72 
Sensitiveness,  93 
Sensuality,  215 
Sentence,  41 
Servants,  51 
Settlements,   193-4 
Seward,  Wm.  H.,  29 
Sewerage,   225 
Sewing,  50,   76 
Shacks,   54 
Sha-he-he,  162 

Shaman,  61,  155,  157,  159,  233 
Shamanism,    154-161,   232,   235 
Shame,  95,  96,  118,  213 
Shark,  153 
Shellfish,  108 
Singing,  204 
Sister,  38,  189 

Sitka,  20,  24,  25,  29,  57,  201, 
248 


260 


INDEX 


Sitkans,  24,  25,  74,  96 

Sitka,    Training    School,    241, 

248 

Skagway,  25 
Skoog-wa,    192 

Slave,  61,  68,  92,  116,  117,  118 
Slavery,  119 
Smallpox,  223 
Smoking,  220 
Sociability,  99 
Social  Life,  57-8 
Socials,  100,  205 
Society,   59 
Soldiers,   194,  216 
Songs,  152,  180,  203,  204 
Spawn,   106 
Speech,  38,  100-1 
Spirit,  119,  149,  154,  156,  159, 

162,  232,  236 
Spirit-land,  119,  149,  235 
Spiritualism,  232 
Sports,   203-6 
Springs,   227 

Standard  of  Morality,  132,  212 
Status,   50 
Steamboat,   210 
Stikeens,   25,   29 
Stolid,    98 
Strangulation,   45 
Sub- totems,  170-1 
Suicide,  195,  218 
Summer,  59 

Superstitions,  125,  154,  162,  240 
Supreme   Being,    231,   236 
Surveillance,   215 
Suspicious,  83,   96 
Swineford,   A.    P.,    20,    29,   72, 

216,  240,  249 
Syphilis,  223 

Taciturn,  59 
Takoos,   25 
Taku  River,  117 
Taste,  65 

Tattooing,  69,  117,  121 
Teachers,   41,  217 
Temperature,  20 
Theft,  217-18 

Thlingets,    23,   25,   26,   33,   35, 
etc.,  58,  59,  72 


Thunder   Bird,    186 

Tinneh,  23,  24 

Tobacco,  220 

Tolth,  87 

Tongass,   25 

Too-da-hook,  87 

Tools,  55 

Toothache,    221 

Torture,   156 

Totem,  56,  75,   141,  233 

Totemism,    168-180 

Totem    Poles,    133,    138,    168, 

175-7 

Toughening  Process,  120 
Tourist,  24,  28,  86,  176 
Town-sites,    18,    53 
Tradition,   60,  235 
Traffic,  82 
Traits,  33,  92 

Transmigration  of  Soul,  234 
Trapping,  74 
Travel,  23,  28 
Treachery,  101,  113 
Treadwell,  74 

Tribes,  23,  24,  25,  26,  37,  56, 170 
Truth,   219 
Tschak,  25,  77 
Tsimpshean,  24,  32,  42 
Tuberculosis,   222 
Twins,  121,  162-3 
Tzow    (hat),  180 

Ulcers,  227 
Uncles,  45 

Vanity,  93,  120 
Vegetables,    109-10 
-Vegetation,    20 
Venereal    Diseases,    223 
Venison,  22 
Verbs,  40 
Vices,  220 
Villages,  18,  53,  55 
Virtue,  219 
Vocabulary,  39 
Volcanoes,   19 

War,  112 

War-canoes,  81 
Washing,   49-50 


INDEX 


261 


Washington,  D.  C.,  20 

Water  System,  57 

Wealth,   61 

Weights,  87,  108 

Whale-killer,  69 

Whales,    188,    189,    190 

Whale  Tribe,    185 

Whooping-cough,  223 

Widows,  147,  152,  163,  199 

Wife,  44,   50-1 

Wig,  210 

Willard,  E.  S.,  Mrs.,  160 

Winter,   59 

Witch,  96,  155,  156,  157,  158 


Witchcraft,  125,  154,  158,  162 
Witch-medicine,   157,  158 
Wolf,    170,   171,    186 
Woman's  Totem,    171 
Word-building,  35 
Worm,  190 
Worm-dish,   115 
Wrangell,  114 

Yak,  26,  78 
Yakutat,  24,  25,  113 
Yalkth,   25,  69 
Yalkth-hit,  178 
Yana-ate,  110 


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Addresses  and  Papers,  together  with  a  Study  of 

David  Swing  and  Hia  Me8sage  by  Neweli  D.  Hui« 
I2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.20. 

A  collection  of  some  of  David  Swing's  greatest  orations 
and  addresses,  mostly  patriotic,  none  of  which  have  before 
been  published  in  book  form.  Dr.  Hillis,  who  has  gathered 
them  together,  contributes  an  eloquent  tribute  to  his  dis- 
tinguished confrere  in  an  Introductory  "Memorial  Address." 

WAYNE   WHIPPLE 

The  Story-Life  of  the  Son  of  Man 

8vo,  illustrated,  net  $2.50. 

Nearly  a  thousand  stories  from  sacred  and  secular  sources 
•woven  into  a  continuous  and  complete  chronicle  of  the 
life  of  the  Saviour.  Story  by  story,  the  author  has  built  up 
from  the  best  that  has  been  written,  mosaic  like,  a  vivid  and 
attractive  narrative  of  the  life  of  lives.  Mr.  Wlhipple's  life 
stories  of  Washington  and  Lincoln  in  the  same  unique  form, 
have  both  been  conspicuously  successful  books. 

GAIUS  GLENN  ATKINS,  P.  D. 

Pilgrims  of  the  Lonely  Road 

I2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

In  nine  chapters  the  author  presents  what  he  calls  the 
"Great  Books  of  the  Spirit".  Beginning  with  the  Medita- 
tions of  Marcus  Aurelius,  he  interprets  with  spiritual  in- 
sight and  clarity  of  expression  the  Confessions  of  St.  Augus- 
tine, Thomas  a'Kempis'  Imitation  of  Christ,  the  Theologia 
Germanica,  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress,  etc. 

ROSE   PORTER 

A  Gift  Of  LoVe      andbmnsGreefingfJoi365Day« 

New  Popular  Edition.    Long  i6mo,  net  Soc. 

"All  the  texts  chosen  present  some  expressions  of  God's 
love  to  man,  and  this  indicates  the  significance  of  the  title." 
•—The  Lutheran  Observer. 


SHELDON  JACKSON 

The  Life  of  Sheldon  Jackson,  Pathfinder  and 
Prospector  of  the  Missionary  Vanguard  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  By  Robert  Laird  Stewart, 
D.D.  Illustrated,  8vo,  cloth,  net  $2.00. 

"  The  story  of  a  thoroughgoing  Western  pioneer 
and  frontiersman.  Dr.  Theodore  L.  Cuyler  said: 
'  When  the  future  historian  writes  the  religious  annals 
of  this  backbone  of  our  continent  [the  Rockies]  he 
will  give  the  foremost  place  to  Sheldon  Jackson,  the 
pioneer  of  the  cross.'  " — N.  Y.  Times. 


JOHN  T.  PARIS 

The  Alaskan  Pathfinder.     The  Story  of  Sheldon 
Jackson  for  Boys.     i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

The  story  of  Sheldon  Jackson  will  appeal  irresisti- 
bly to  every  boy.  Action  from  the  time  he  was,  as 
an  infant,  rescued  from  a  fire  to  his  years  of  strenu- 
ous rides  through  the  Rockies  and  his  long  years  of 
service  in  Alaska,  permeate  every  page  of  the  book. 


JOHN  W.  ARCTANDER 
The  Apostle  of  Alaska.    The  Story  of  William 
Duncan    of   Metlakahtla.      Illustrated,     i2mo, 
cloth,  net  $1.50. 

"  It  tells  the  story  of  William  Duncan,  the  mis- 
sionary among  the  great  detached  section  of  the 
United  States.  Nothing  could  be  more  romantic, 
more  thrilling,  more  redolent  of  patience  and  high 
courage,  than  this  story  of  his  life-work — a  thorough 
and  absorbing  record." — Minneapolis  Tribune. 


LIVINGSTON  F.  JONES 

A  Study  of  the  Thlingets  of  Alaska. 

cloth.     Illustrated,  net  $1.50. 

For  twenty-one  years  the  author  has  labored  as  a 
missionary  representing  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Home  Missions  among  the  people  about  which  he 
writes.  Probably  no  living  man  is  better  qualified  to 
tell  about  this  interesting  race. 


